Persona 3: Bloodlines
by Prince Of Snow
Summary: Minato Arisato: the second heir to the Arisato Corporation, a business conglomerate with shady connections and an axe to grind with their competitors, the Kirijo Group. After getting into trouble in his hometown, Minato finds himself in the same dorm as the Kirijo Heiress. Join Minato as he uncovers his family's secrets and finds a companion in the most unexpected person.
1. Arrival

**Author's Note: Hello! I don't really have much to say on this story beyond what is in the description. I honestly have no idea if I will finish this story or not, it all comes down to my ability to create a plot without getting sidetracked in the process. I have some interesting ideas, some of which will probably surprise even the most hardcore P3 players, but I'm sure there will be some that people hate, so be warned. Also, this will eventually become MinatoxMitsuru, but probably not for a while. I hope you enjoy! Please drop a review even if you didn't. I aim to improve!**

* * *

' _How the hell did I end up here again?_ '

A single figure on a train bound for Iwatodai was silently contemplating the order of events that led to him being expelled from his home and school. The train was, surprisingly enough, empty except for the lone teenager in the very back of the train car.

' _Oh yeah. That's right. I'm an impulsive idiot._ '

Even with the teen's contemplation, he knew why he was here, and he knew, deep down, that this was for the best. He looked out the window, only to see the empty black void that was the night sky, only, there was something small, but definitely noticeable amongst the contrast of the night.

A small, blue butterfly fluttering in the dark.

' _Guess you're alone tonight too, little guy_ ' The teen simply turned his attention down to his MP3 player and started skipping through the songs as he recounted the events leading him here.

* * *

 **1 Week Earlier**

"What the hell were you thinking?!"

A large, cream colored office was filled with only two people. One was a teenager. The other was an older gentleman, and they were separated by a large, mahogany desk. Both figures had blue hair, but the older one had strands of grey hair, and the blue looked faded. His age was starting to become more apparent as the years progressed.

"I've bailed you out one too many times, Minato. I told you if this happened again I would have no choice but to send you away. You knew the consequences, so why did you do _this_?!" The older figure gestured to a file in a manila folder on top of his desk. Its contents containing a police account and arrest description for the teen currently in his office.

"I'm sorry, Uncle. I knew the consequences, but I did it anyway. Do what you have to do." The teen's voice was, at best, bored and uninterested. He wasn't fazed by his uncle's stern demeanor or threat. He was used to these talks by now. The only difference with this one is that his uncle would actually do something. No matter. What was a year in Iwatodai anyway? Couldn't be too bad.

His uncle pinched his nose and sighed. "Listen, Minato. You're on your way to becoming an adult. These types of things," he picked up the folder and read the contents once again, "cannot happen. It looks bad on the company when the youngest Arisato child gets arrested."

"The media will spin it into a sob story, Uncle. They always do." The teenager, Minato, was used to the media attention by now. Countless reporters bombarding him day after day about recent scandals and his arrests were a common occurrence. This arrest would be no different. It would be another story about how the distraught Arisato Heir coped with the loss of his parents by performing unlawful actions, and the media would swoon over the teen's bad boy behavior and then they would forget about it in a week. Just like they always did.

"Nevertheless, Minato, you've made it a habit of getting into trouble. This is the fourth time that you've been detained, and it's getting harder and harder to bribe the Tokyo police to overlook these sorts of things when they happen this often." His uncle was as stubborn as ever, and the chances of avoiding the transfer to Iwatodai was looking less and less likely. "Honestly, the only thing that makes sending you to Iwatodai problematic for me is having to do the paperwork for school transfer, but at this rate, it seems that would be a small drop in the pile of work you and your troubles force upon me." His uncle continued to glare at him.

"It's surprising this Gekkoukan High would even accept you, but it seems your studies are paying off after all. If only you kept your nose out of trouble." His uncle grimaced. It pained him to have these talks, and he didn't really want to send Minato away, but he didn't really have a choice in the matter.

"If you've made your decision, Uncle, should I start packing?"

Minato's uncle rose from his desk and sighed once more.

"Yes, Minato, you should."

And with that, Minato gave a small bow and left the room, shutting the door again behind him.

The Arisato Estate was quite large. Large enough to house three tenants as well as multiple maids and chefs who lived on the property as well as leave room for multiple guest rooms on every floor. The place was colored similarly to Minato's uncle's office. Cream colored walls with mahogany and similarly colored tables, chairs, and desks adorning every room in the estate. A library was built on the second floor right across from Minato's room, and it was here that he encountered the other person who lived here along with his uncle and himself.

"Well, well, well… what did you do this time?" A mocking voice called from behind Minato as he turned the knob that led to his room.

"Nothing that you should concern yourself with, Makoto." Minato tried to ignore the annoying chuckle from behind him as he opened the door to his room.

"Anything that concerns my brother concerns me, Minato." At this point, Minato turned around with a glare towards his older brother, Makoto. Makoto was older than Minato by four years, making him Twenty-one years old. He was slightly taller than Minato, and slicked his blue hair back to give it a more dignified look.

"Since when do you care about what happens to me, asshole!?" Minato made no attempt to hide the venom in his voice. Him and his brother were on horrible terms. Makoto's constant teasing and harassment had hit a high point a few years back, and it struck a chord damaging enough to Minato that it forced him to block his brother completely out of his life.

If Makoto's harassment hadn't been annoying enough, now that he had returned from college, he had a "high and mighty" stick up his ass that made him worse to be around. The old Makoto may have been a jerk, but the new Makoto was a jerk who scolded Minato on "proper behavior and etiquette" while in public, which did nothing to better their relationship as brothers.

"I'll always care for my baby brother," Makoto's eyes and smug smirk betrayed his voice's faux sense of caring, "besides, it's not going to be any fun without you around. The house is just so… boring otherwise." Makoto gave a small shake of his head accompanied with a chuckle.

"Well I doubt it will be boring considering you're preparing to take over the corporation and all. What is it that you told me? That I was a "nuisance that disturbed your studies"? Perhaps you'll actually get something done while I'm gone." Minato brushed off the mocking laugh that his brother fired back with and started packing for his move.

"So, you actually pissed the old man off enough to actually be sent away. My, what did you manage to do this time, I wonder… Was it drugs? Guns? Perhaps your childish ways finally caught up with you and you fooled around with the wrong people? So, Minato, which was it? And to think you're being sent to Iwatodai of all places. My, my…. Uncle must be really mad if he's sending you to the lion's den with our rival's home base. Damn _Kirjio dogs_." Makoto continued to berate his brother with questions pertaining to his detainment, and it eventually got to the point that Minato snapped.

"It was nothing, okay!? Some asshole was threatening me on my way home so I shut him up, but then he went to the police like the chicken shit he was and they got me," Minato's voice rose in volume and the hatred in his voice increased, "You happy!? You satisfied!? Now leave me alone, Makoto!" Minato slammed his door shut and put his headphones on his ears and put his MP3 on full blast.

His MP3. The last memento Minato had of his parents. It was beaten up and old, but he always kept it. Whether it was the sentimental value or his laziness that stopped him from selling it and getting a new one, he didn't know. All he knew was that it kept him sane. All the baggage that came from being the second heir to the Arisato Corporation's throne was blocked out by the sweet sounds of music that could be activated in a moment's notice. Makoto had kept a memento of their parents too, of course, but his wasn't an item one could use, and Minato wasn't quite sure when he got it. It was a small, silver medallion that he kept clipped on his belt at all times. Whenever he would ask about the strange object, Makoto would always brush off the question, but not before mocking his brother's own memento, because everything was a matter of discord between the two, nowadays.

Minato zipped up the last remaining items he would be taking to Iwatodai, laid back in his desk chair, and let his music lull him to sleep.

* * *

 **Present Day**

"Attention passengers, we would like to apologize for the delay. This is the last call for Iwatodai. Iwatodai station coming up." The P.A. system onboard the train alerted Minato and brought him out of his quiet reflection.

As the train slowed to a stop and the doors opened, Minato grabbed his luggage and began making his exit. The station was quite bustling considering it was almost midnight, but that was to be expected in a highly populated area like Iwatodai. It certainly wasn't the size of Tokyo like Minato had gotten used to, but it wasn't a small town by any means.

That was when everything got weird.

In an instant, Minato's MP3 abruptly stopped, and a sickening green glow covered the streets, and the smell of iron crept up to Minato's nose. He looked down to find the source of the smell only to find a puddle of blood right at his feet.

Minato quickly looked around to find all the people he originally saw, but in their absence, coffins lined the roads and alleyways of the station. The teen suppressed a shiver and inhaled sharply at the horrific sights. With a final steadying breath, Minato looked down at the directions he was given to his new home, and continued at a steady pace towards the dorm he would be staying at for the year.

' _Just another night in Green World, Minato. You can do this. Just quickly reach the dorm._ '

Minato was no stranger to this change in the world. He had experienced it for a few years, and whenever he told his uncle about it, he would just brush it off as a nightmare, but Minato knew better. Nightmares wouldn't feel so… _real_. No matter how many times he experienced it, however, he would never get use to the churning feeling in his gut when the sky turned green and the moon turned yellow. It was unsettling.

It didn't take long for Minato to reach the dorm. The directions provided were direct and simple enough to follow, and the lack of traffic due to the arrival of "Green World" made the trip faster by a considerable margin of time. The dorm was large, and must've housed a lot of students, Minato thought.

The living room that greeted Minato was empty, which didn't really surprise him, considering "Green World" was still active.

' _It's going to be an awkward night with nobody here to greet me. How am I going to explain this?_ ' Minato's thoughts would've continued going further into the negative territory if not for the scurrying of feet he heard amongst the darkness.

"W-who's there!?" A feminine voice called out to Minato, and a slender silhouette appeared in the hallway in front of him.

' _Another person awake during this time!? That's unheard of!_ '

Before Minato could make a case for himself, he saw a silver glint being pulled out from the silhouette's thigh.

' _A gun!? Those aren't even legal for citizens to carry!_ '

"Hold on, I promise I'm not a home invader. My names Arisato Minato. Perhaps you heard I was arriving?" Minato tried his best to dispel the girl's anxiety, but his words seem to cause her to panic more, and before he knew it, the gun was trained on his head and the girl's breaths became more rapid and uneven.

' _If I die tonight, I'm haunting whoever set me up in this dormitory._ '

"Takeba, stop!" Another feminine voice called out in the darkness, and in an instant, the lights came on, fully illuminating the two teenage girls in front of him. The "Green World" had ended.

"Um…hello…?" Minato tried to reintroduce himself to the gun-toting girl in front of him, hoping to dispel the tension by greeting the two in front of him.

With the lights back on, Minato got a better look at the girls in front of him. The one with the gun had short, brown hair and seemed to really like the color pink if her outfit had anything to say about her. The other was taller than her friend, with red hair fashioned with curls at the end. A white blouse accented with a red ribbon and armband accompanied with a black skirt and boots gave her an authoritative presence, which, if her commanding voice was of any indication, was the look she was going for.

"You must be Arisato Minato, correct?" The redhead raised an eyebrow quizzically at the dumbfounded Minato, who was still trying to figure out how a high school student got a gun in the first place.

The blue haired teen shook his head one final time before deciding to introduce himself.

"Yep, that's me. Sorry for arriving so late. Delays and all that jazz. I'm sure you know how it is." Minato shifted his weight to his right foot and crossed his arms as he glanced at the gun one final time.

"I didn't realize they allowed high school students to carry firearms. Not to mention using it on unarmed civilians." Minato didn't try very hard to hide his scrutinizing look at the brunette who looked shocked that he brought up the weapon.

"Don't worry, it's not real." The redhead said, perhaps a little too quickly, in Minato's opinion. "I'm Mitsuru Kirijo, and this is Yukari Takeba." The redhead gestured to her companion and gave her a look that seemed to signal something for the brunette.

' _Wait… did she just say Kirijo!? THE Kirijo? Damn you Uncle!_ '

"H-hi. Sorry about that. There's been a few break-ins recently. Can't be too careful." Yukari let out a nervous chuckle while averting the gaze of the newly arrived student, who wasn't really paying her any attention. Instead, his focus seemed to be on Mitsuru, who seemed to notice his staring.

"I'll be honest, when I heard an Arisato was going to live here, I didn't believe it at first, but here you are." Mitsuru seemed to narrow her eyes slightly towards Minato, who returned her look with an equally suspicious glare.

"I assure you that whatever issue you take with my family and our corporation won't be replicated with me. I have no interest in our families' politics, Kirijo-san." Minato gave her a respectful bow, believing that a civil approach was preferable to a bloodshed in a dormitory living room.

Mitsuru's gaze softened a bit with the teen's gesture, and she returned his bow with one of her own, albeit somewhat restrained.

"In that case, I hope we can get along," Mitsuru sighed softly before rubbing her arm, "it was wrong for me to treat you inhospitably, Arisato-san."

"It's quite all right." Minato gave out a small chuckle and brushed some of his hair out of his eyes.

"Wait, you guys know each other!?" Yukari looked confused and didn't really seem to comprehend the exchange between the two young aristocrats. Minato was the first to enlighten her, however.

"The Arisato Corporation-my family-and the Kirijo Group have never really been on good terms." Minato shook his head a bit as he recounted both his uncle's and his brother's multiple slurs for people associated with the Kirijo group.

"Yes, they originally split from the Nanjo Group together with the Arisato-Kirijo Group, but a few bad business dealings between the two led to an eventual split." Mitsuru also recounted multiple slurs used to describe Arisato Corp. associates. Ones that she heard from her grandfather as well as other Kirijo Board members.

"Well, the past is the past," Minato extended his hand towards the Kirijo Heiress with a friendly smile, "I'm willing to bury the hatchet her if you are, Kirijo-san." She reached out a shook his hand.

"Gladly, Arisato-san." Mitsuru returned the smile. "You must be tired. Tatsumi Port Island is quite far from Tokyo. I'll have Takeba show you to your room." She nodded her head towards the younger teen.

"Yes, Senpai." Yukari gave a small bow, "follow me, please."

Yukari led Minato to the last room on the right on the second floor.

"Here's your key. Don't lose it, or you'll never here the end of it." Yukari handed Minato the key and began walking away.

"Thank you, Takeba-san." Minato gave her a small smile.

"Please, just call me Yukari, last names a bit too formal for me." Yukari let out a small chuckle.

"Well, only if you call me Minato, then, Yukari-san." Minato gave a small smile while Yukari nodded.

"Hey, Minato-san, can I ask you something?" Minato turned back around and gave her a nod to continue.

"Why were you so quick to drop years of rivalry with Mitsuru-senpai like that? If it was as bad as you both let on, I would've figured you would be less accepting of living here." There seemed to be more to Yukari's question, Minato thought. Almost as if she wanted a specific piece on information out of him or something, but he just gave her the simplistic answer.

"I'm not one for holding grudges, especially if it's with people I've never met. Besides, if we're living in the same dorm together, it would get really awkward if we were at each other's' throats all the time." Minato gave a small chuckle.

Yukari seemed unsatisfied with the answer, but she wasn't going to push it. Instead she gave a quiet 'thanks' before turning around and heading upstairs.

Minato walked into his room.

' _Blue, blue, and more blue. Whoever set up my room knows me well._ '

Minato dropped his bags onto the desk in his room and rummaged through to find more comfortable clothes before collapsing into his bed with a final yawn.

' _This year's gonna be… interesting._ '

* * *

 **Authors Note: I've had this idea for a while now, and I expect many people had a similar idea as well. I honestly don't know if I'll be able to write a long-form story, as it's not really my type of thing, but I'm going to try it. Please Review and give me feedback on this idea. Also, I didn't overlook Pharos and the Contract. Don't worry. I got an idea on what to do with them in the future. Anyways, take care everyone!**


	2. Arrival - Prince's Commentary

_**(Don't Skip This)**_ **Author's Note: So, I had an idea today that I wanted to do as soon as possible. Don't worry, chapter 2 is currently in the process of being edited and scheduled for release, but I wanted to see how this idea worked out before uploading it. You can expect it to be uploaded within one to two days, tops. This is meant to be an "Author's Commentary" in a sense, with the goal being to help further explain my thought process and help others with their writing. It's also meant to fill the void between chapters with something that I find interesting, and I hope you do too. This is still an experiment, so be sure to let me know what you think in a review or PM. Anyways, let's get started!**

* * *

' _How the hell did I end up here again?_ '

A single figure on a train bound for Iwatodai was silently contemplating the order of events that led to him being expelled from his home and school. The train was, surprisingly enough, empty except for the lone teenager in the very back of the train car.

 **(Prince: I find the first paragraph to often be the hardest part of a chapter to write. It's supposed to set the tone of the story and will probably be the deciding factor on a reader on whether or not they wish to continue a story. The idea of starting with Minato's thoughts and leading into a description is meant to pique the reader's curiosity. Why is he here? Is it any different from the base game? What will be the backstory of the main character? I find straight novelizations boring, so I made sure to change the personality and backstory of Minato Arisato as much as possible while still being able to fit into canon territory.)**

' _Oh yeah. That's right. I'm an impulsive idiot._ '

 **(Prince: To be honest, I didn't really know how to follow up with Minato's first thought. At first, I was going to let it hang there without explanation, but I decided that would be odd, and wouldn't really mesh well with the next paragraph I had in mind, so I decided to simply follow it up with some self-chastisement.)**

Even with the teen's contemplation, he knew why he was here, and he knew, deep down, that this was for the best. He looked out the window, only to see the empty black void that was the night sky, only, there was something small, but definitely noticeable amongst the contrast of the night.

A small, blue butterfly fluttering in the dark.

' _Guess you're alone tonight too, little guy_ ' The teen simply turned his attention down to his MP3 player and started skipping through the songs as he recounted the events leading him here.

 **(Prince: I knew I wanted to include a flashback in this chapter. In fact, when I wrote out the outline of this chapter, the flashback was the first scene I came up with, and simply used the opening cutscene of the base game as a template for the rest of the introductory sequence.)**

 **1 Week Earlier**

"What the hell were you thinking?!"

A large, cream colored office was filled with only two figures. One was a teenager. The other was an older gentleman, and they were separated by a large, mahogany desk. Both figures had blue hair, but the older one had strands of grey hair, and the blue looked faded. His age was starting to become more apparent as the years progressed.

"I've bailed you out one too many times, Minato. I told you if this happened again I would have no choice but to send you away. You knew the consequences, so why did you do _this_?!" The older figure gestured to a file in a manila folder on top of his desk. Its contents containing a police account and arrest description for the teen currently in his office.

 **(Prince: I wanted to keep the details of Minato's arrest secret for a little bit. I felt that if his arrest was explained instantly, the feeling of mysteriousness of his character would be instantly wiped away. This is a character that has been portrayed a hundred different ways in thousands of fanfics on this website. The vagueness was meant to add a little uneasiness within the reader. At this point, I suspected that many people weren't quite aware if the arrest was going to be serious or not, and that was the point.)**

"I'm sorry, Uncle. I knew the consequences, but I did it anyway. Do what you have to do." The teen's voice was, at best, bored and uninterested. He wasn't fazed by his uncle's stern demeanor or threat. He was used to these talks by now. The only difference with this one is that his uncle would actually do something. No matter. What was a year in Iwatodai anyway? Couldn't be too bad.

 **(Prince: This was meant to be the first real taste of Minato's personality. An apathetic, often times uncaring person with a chip on his shoulder. I didn't originally know how I was going to characterize him. I knew what I didn't want to do, but there were many different ideas I juggled with before settling on what I thought would fit his backstory.)**

His uncle pinched his nose and sighed. "Listen, Minato. You're on your way to becoming an adult. These types of things," he picked up the folder and read the contents once again, "cannot happen. It looks bad on the company when the youngest Arisato child gets arrested."

"The media will spin it into a sob story, Uncle. They always do." The teenager, Minato, was used to the media attention by now. Countless reporters bombarding him day after day about recent scandals and his arrests were a common occurrence. This arrest would be no different. It would be another story about how the distraught Arisato Heir coped with the loss of his parents by performing unlawful actions, and the media would swoon over the teen's bad boy behavior and then they would forget about it in a week. Just like they always did.

 **(Prince: Once again, another look into Minato's thought process. The media outlook was heavily inspired by my own observations on celebrities and their media presence, as well as a small nod to how Persona 4 treated reporters when dealing with the murders in Inaba; nosy, uncaring, and a gossip machine.)**

"Nevertheless, Minato, you've made it a habit of getting into trouble. This is the fourth time that you've been detained, and it's getting harder and harder to bribe the Tokyo police to overlook these sorts of things when they happen this often." His uncle was as stubborn as ever, and the chances of avoiding the transfer to Iwatodai was looking less and less likely. "Honestly, the only thing that makes sending you to Iwatodai problematic for me is having to do the paperwork for school transfer, but at this rate, it seems that would be a small drop in the pile of work you and your troubles force upon me." His uncle continued to glare at him.

"It's surprising this Gekkoukan High would even accept you, but it seems your studies are paying off after all. If only you kept your nose out of trouble." His uncle grimaced. It pained him to have these talks, and he didn't really want to send Minato away, but he didn't really have a choice in the matter.

 **(Prince: I wanted to make it perfectly clear that Minato's uncle wasn't a total dick. I wanted him to come across as a stern, but still caring individual. The act of bribing the police is meant to show the shady connections of the Arisato Corp. and also serve as a small nod to Persona 5. I'll be honest, it took a lot of restraint to not throw in a remark about the police having a "Change of Heart" about Minato's record.)**

"If you've made your decision, Uncle, should I start packing?"

Minato's uncle rose from his desk and sighed once more.

"Yes, Minato, you should."

And with that, Minato gave a small bow and left the room, shutting the door again behind him.

The Arisato Estate was quite large. Large enough to house three tenants as well as multiple maids and chefs who lived on the property as well as leave room for multiple guest rooms on every floor. The place was colored similarly to Minato's uncle's office. Cream colored walls with mahogany and similarly colored tables, chairs, and desks adorning every room in the estate. A library was built on the second floor right across from Minato's room, and it was here that he encountered the other person who lived here along with his uncle and himself.

 **(Prince: I knew how I envisioned the Arisato Estate, but I can't help but think that I gave an inadequate description of the place, whether that be in the sheer size of the place or the lavish lifestyle the Arisato family lives in.)**

"Well, well, well… what did you do this time?" A mocking voice called from behind Minato as he turned the knob that led to his room.

"Nothing that you should concern yourself with, Makoto." Minato tried to ignore the annoying chuckle from behind him as he opened the door to his room.

"Anything that concerns my brother concerns me, Minato." At this point, Minato turned around with a glare towards his older brother, Makoto. Makoto was older than Minato by four years, making him Twenty-one years old. He was slightly taller than Minato, and slicked his blue hair back to give it a more dignified look.

 **(Prince: Makoto has existed in this story since the beginning outlines that I've made. I wanted Minato to have a surviving family member, and I was originally going to include the female protagonist, but I decided against it due to them being twins being a stale idea at this point. Makoto acts as a lite antagonist here. Not really a villain working against the main character, but certainly being an unceremonious dickhead throughout the chapter. I have a few interesting ideas for Makoto, but telling you now would be spoiling *wink wink*)**

"Since when do you care about what happens to me, asshole!?" Minato made no attempt to hide the venom in his voice. Him and his brother were on horrible terms. Makoto's constant teasing and harassment had hit a high point a few years back, and it struck a chord damaging enough to Minato that it forced him to block his brother completely out of his life.

If Makoto's harassment hadn't been annoying enough, now that he had returned from college, he had a "high and mighty" stick up his ass that made him worse to be around. The old Makoto may have been a jerk, but the new Makoto was a jerk who scolded Minato on "proper behavior and etiquette" while in public, which did nothing to better their relationship as brothers.

 **(Prince: I wanted Makoto to be the more serious of the two. While Minato is uncaring and doesn't care much for his family's heritage, Makoto is meant to be the more involved in the politics and economics of the corporation. Makoto cares more about loyalty and respect while Minato tends to be less thrilled about the aspect of being born into a family with such large expectations. This ends up creating a large rift between the two brothers as their ideology and ideals clash.)**

"I'll always care for my baby brother," Makoto's eyes and smug smirk betrayed his voice's faux sense of caring, "besides, it's not going to be any fun without you around. The house is just so… boring otherwise." Makoto gave a small shake of his head accompanied with a chuckle.

"Well I doubt it will be boring considering you're preparing to take over the corporation and all. What is it that you told me? That I was a "nuisance that disturbed your studies"? Perhaps you'll actually get something done while I'm gone." Minato brushed off the mocking laugh that his brother fired back with and started packing for his move.

"So, you actually pissed the old man off enough to actually be sent away. My, what did you manage to do this time, I wonder… Was it drugs? Guns? Perhaps your childish ways finally caught up with you and you fooled around with the wrong people? So, Minato, which was it? And to think you're being sent to Iwatodai of all places. My, my…. Uncle must be really mad if he's sending you to the lion's den with our rival's home base. Damn _Kirjio dogs_." Makoto continued to berate his brother with questions pertaining to his detainment, and it eventually got to the point that Minato snapped.

 **(Prince: This was meant to show the hostility the Kirijo Group and the Arisato Corp. have for each other a little earlier than when it is fully revealed.)**

"It was nothing, okay!? Some asshole was threatening me on my way home so I shut him up, but then he went to the police like the chicken shit he was and they got me," Minato's voice rose in volume and the hatred in his voice increased, "You happy!? You satisfied!? Now leave me alone, Makoto!" Minato slammed his door shut and put his headphones on his ears and put his MP3 on full blast.

 **(Prince: I was tossing a couple of ideas in my head as to what Minato got in trouble for. At first, I thought he would have been caught intoxicated, but decided against it as it wouldn't mesh well with his personality here. I settled on an assault charge as another nod to Persona 5 as well as to show Minato's short fuse here. He isn't to be trifled with so easily, and while he may seem carefree and friendly on the outside, threatening his life or a life of someone he cares about will only end in disaster.)**

His MP3. The last memento Minato had of his parents. It was beaten up and old, but he always kept it. Whether it was the sentimental value or his laziness that stopped him from selling it and getting a new one, he didn't know. All he knew was that it kept him sane. All the baggage that came from being the second heir to the Arisato Corporation's throne was blocked out by the sweet sounds of music that could be activated in a moment's notice. Makoto had kept a memento of their parents too, of course, but his wasn't an item one could use, and Minato wasn't quite sure when he got it. It was a small, silver medallion that he kept clipped on his belt at all times. Whenever he would ask about the strange object, Makoto would always brush off the question, but not before mocking his brother's own memento, because everything was a matter of discord between the two, nowadays.

 **(Prince: I was very cautious about how much I disclosed here about their mementos of their parents. Without giving too much away, there's a good reason as to why the brothers hold on to their memento's as much as they do.)**

Minato zipped up the last remaining items he would be taking to Iwatodai, laid back in his desk chair, and let his music lull him to sleep.

* * *

 **Present Day**

"Attention passengers, we would like to apologize for the delay. This is the last call for Iwatodai. Iwatodai station coming up." The P.A. system onboard the train alerted Minato and brought him out of his quiet reflection.

As the train slowed to a stop and the doors opened, Minato grabbed his luggage and began making his exit. The station was quite bustling considering it was almost midnight, but that was to be expected in a highly populated area like Iwatodai. It certainly wasn't the size of Tokyo like Minato had gotten used to, but it wasn't a small town by any means.

That was when everything got weird.

In an instant, Minato's MP3 abruptly stopped, and a sickening green glow covered the streets, and the smell of iron crept up to Minato's nose. He looked down to find the source of the smell only to find a puddle of blood right at his feet.

Minato quickly looked around to find all the people he originally saw, but in their absence, coffins lined the roads and alleyways of the station. The teen suppressed a shiver and inhaled sharply at the horrific sights. With a final steadying breath, Minato looked down at the directions he was given to his new home, and continued at a steady pace towards the dorm he would be staying at for the year.

' _Just another night in Green World, Minato. You can do this. Just quickly reach the dorm._ '

Minato was no stranger to this change in the world. He had experienced it for a few years, and whenever he told his uncle about it, he would just brush it off as a nightmare, but Minato knew better. Nightmares wouldn't feel so… _real_. No matter how many times he experienced it, however, he would never get use to the churning feeling in his gut when the sky turned green and the moon turned yellow. It was unsettling.

 **(Prince: This was one the harder scenes to write, believe it or not. I find it hard to correctly describe the horrors of the Dark Hour and characters' reactions to it without relying on the game as a crutch, which I decide to stay as far away from as possible when writing. I use the scenes the the game as a reference and tend to change character dialogue and interaction from there. That way, it feels more personal and original.)**

It didn't take long for Minato to reach the dorm. The directions provided were direct and simple enough to follow, and the lack of traffic due to the arrival of "Green World" made the trip faster by a considerable margin of time. The dorm was large, and must've housed a lot of students, Minato thought.

The living room that greeted Minato was empty, which didn't really surprise him, considering "Green World" was still active.

' _It's going to be an awkward night with nobody here to greet me. How am I going to explain this?_ ' Minato's thoughts would've continued going further into the negative territory if not for the scurrying of feet he heard amongst the darkness.

"W-who's there!?" A feminine voice called out to Minato, and a slender silhouette appeared in the hallway in front of him.

 **(Prince: I was originally going to use the game's standard introduction to the dorm, but decided leaving some elements out could lead to some interesting plot divergences later on.)**

' _Another person awake during this time!? That's unheard of!_ '

Before Minato could make a case for himself, he saw a silver glint being pulled out from the silhouette's thigh.

' _A gun!? Those aren't even legal for citizens to carry!_ '

"Hold on, I promise I'm not a home invader. My names Minato Arisato. Perhaps you heard I was arriving?" Minato tried his best to dispel the girl's anxiety, but his words seem to cause her to panic more, and before he knew it, the gun was trained on his head and the girl's breaths became more rapid and uneven.

' _If I die tonight, I'm haunting whoever set me up in this dormitory._ '

 **(Prince: I wanted to show that Minato was calm under pressure here and that he could even joke around despite the apparent danger he's in. This all ties into some of his escapades that he got in trouble for that will be explained in due time.)**

"Takeba, stop!" Another feminine voice called out in the darkness, and in an instant, the lights came on, fully illuminating the two teenage girls in front of him. The "Green World" had ended.

"Um…hello…?" Minato tried to reintroduce himself to the gun-toting girl in front of him, hoping to dispel the tension by greeting the two in front of him.

With the lights back on, Minato got a better look at the girls in front of him. The one with the gun had short, brown hair and seemed to really like the color pink if her outfit had anything to say about her. The other was taller than her friend, with red hair fashioned with curls at the end. A white blouse accented with a red ribbon and armband accompanied with a black skirt and boots gave her an authoritative presence, which, if her commanding voice was of any indication, was the look she was going for.

"You must be Minato Arisato, correct?" The redhead raised an eyebrow quizzically at the dumbfounded Minato, who was still trying to figure out how a high school student got a gun in the first place.

The blue haired teen shook his head one final time before deciding to introduce himself.

"Yep, that's me. Sorry for arriving so late. Delays and all that jazz. I'm sure you know how it is." Minato shifted his weight to his right foot and crossed his arms as he glanced at the gun one final time.

"I didn't realize they allowed high school students to carry firearms. Not to mention using it on unarmed civilians." Minato didn't try very hard to hide his scrutinizing look at the brunette who looked shocked that he brought up the weapon.

 **(Prince: Once again, this was meant to show Minato's irritation coming into play here. His jab at Yukari is meant to be direct, and is meant to be a moment of him gathering his composure as he's processing what just happened.)**

"Don't worry, it's not real." The redhead said, perhaps a little too quickly, in Minato's opinion. "I'm Mitsuru Kirijo, and this is Yukari Takeba." The redhead gestured to her companion and gave her a look that seemed to signal something for the brunette.

' _Wait… did she just say Kirijo!? THE Kirijo? Damn you Uncle!_ '

 **(Prince: Some of the early drafts of this story had Minato and Mitsuru being childhood friends before being separated by their families' feuding, but I thought having them meet as strangers and learning about each other as the story progressed would be more interesting, as it makes the distrust and the eventual growth of trust all the more noticeable.)**

"H-hi. Sorry about that. There's been a few break-ins recently. Can't be too careful." Yukari let out a nervous chuckle while averting the gaze of the newly arrived student, who wasn't really paying her any attention. Instead, his focus seemed to be on Mitsuru, who seemed to notice his staring.

"I'll be honest, when I heard an Arisato was going to live here, I didn't believe it at first, but here you are." Mitsuru seemed to narrow her eyes slightly towards Minato, who returned her look with an equally suspicious glare.

 **(Prince: My biggest issue with Mitsuru's dialogue here is a fear of OOCness. I was genuinely worried of getting her initial reaction to Minato wrong. I don't personally believe I did a stellar job with it, but I personally believe it could've been a lot worse, and if I ever rewrite this chapter, this line is going to receive the most scrutiny.)**

"I assure you that whatever issue you take with my family and our corporation won't be replicated with me. I have no interest in our families' politics, Kirijo-san." Minato gave her a respectful bow, believing that a civil approach was preferable to a bloodshed in a dormitory living room.

 **(Prince: This dialogue has two purposes. The first one is to show Minato's lack of interest in his family's company, and the other is meant to show his public behavior compared to his private behavior. He comes off a lot nicer and polite when talking to strangers, but is really cynical and rough on the inside.)**

Mitsuru's gaze softened a bit with the teen's gesture, and she returned his bow with one of her own, albeit somewhat restrained.

"In that case, I hope we can get along," Mitsuru sighed softly before rubbing her arm, "it was wrong for me to treat you inhospitably, Arisato-san."

"It's quite all right." Minato gave out a small chuckle and brushed some of his hair out of his eyes.

 **(Prince: I originally thought I would have the two hate each other for the better part of the first month of the story, but decided against it as neither character would be able to avoid OOCness had I gone that route.)**

"Wait, you guys know each other!?" Yukari looked confused and didn't really seem to comprehend the exchange between the two young aristocrats. Minato was the first to enlighten her, however.

"The Arisato Corporation-my family-and the Kirijo Group have never really been on good terms." Minato shook his head a bit as he recounted both his uncle's and his brother's multiple slurs for people associated with the Kirijo group.

"Yes, they originally split from the Nanjo Group together with the Arisato-Kirijo Group, but a few bad business dealings between the two led to an eventual split." Mitsuru also recounted multiple slurs used to describe Arisato Corp. associates. Ones that she heard from her grandfather as well as other Kirijo Board members.

"Well, the past is the past," Minato extended his hand towards the Kirijo Heiress with a friendly smile, "I'm willing to bury the hatchet her if you are, Kirijo-san." She reached out a shook his hand.

 **(Prince: "The past is the past". This quote played an integral role in the outline of this story.)**

"Gladly, Arisato-san." Mitsuru returned the smile. "You must be tired. Tatsumi Port Island is quite far from Tokyo. I'll have Takeba show you to your room." She nodded her head towards the younger teen.

"Yes, Senpai." Yukari gave a small bow, "Follow me, please."

Yukari led Minato to the last room on the right on the second floor.

"Here's your key. Don't lose it, or you'll never here the end of it." Yukari handed Minato the key and began walking away.

"Thank you, Takeba-san." Minato gave her a small smile.

"Please, just call me Yukari, last names are a bit too formal for me." Yukari let out a small chuckle.

"Well, only if you call me Minato, then, Yukari-san." Minato gave a small smile while Yukari nodded.

"Hey, Minato-san, can I ask you something?" Minato turned back around and gave her a nod to continue.

"Why were you so quick to drop years of rivalry with Mitsuru-senpai like that? If it was as bad as you both let on, I would've figured you would be less accepting of living here." There seemed to be more to Yukari's question, Minato thought. Almost as if she wanted a specific piece on information out of him or something, but he just gave her the simplistic answer.

"I'm not one for holding grudges, especially if it's with people I've never met. Besides, if we're living in the same dorm together, it would get really awkward if we were at each other's' throats all the time." Minato gave a small chuckle.

 **(Prince: This is something that I really wanted to stress here. Neither the Arisato Corp. or the Kirijo Group have spoken to each other in YEARS. All they know about one another is that their team hates the others, and that is good enough reason for people like Makoto to hate the Kirijo Group.)**

Yukari seemed unsatisfied with the answer, but she wasn't going to push it. Instead she gave a quiet 'thanks' before turning around and heading upstairs.

Minato walked into his room.

' _Blue, blue, and more blue. Whoever set up my room knows me well._ '

Minato dropped his bags onto the desk in his room and rummaged through to find more comfortable clothes before collapsing into his bed with a final yawn.

' _This year's gonna be… interesting._ '

* * *

 **Authors Note: I hope I could enlighten some of you on my thought process here. Honestly, my biggest concern with doing this is the artificial bump in word count I get from doing it like this, and if that bothers you, please let me know, because this idea is merely an experiment, and if you don't like it, this can stop and be deleted. If you want this to continue, let me know, because I had a lot of fun doing this and it actually helped me formulate some of the ideas I have for this story.**


	3. First Day

The next morning, Minato woke up earlier than he had to, admittedly, but he was never much of a late sleeper. Having to rush to school after a few bad decisions the night prior served as a cautionary tale for the young heir on what NOT to do when it was a school night.

He quickly worked on making himself presentable, first he started with his hair, which was always a pet peeve of his. It never seemed to fall over his eye exactly how he wanted it to. It's messy look actually took time and effort to perfect. He then started digging out his uniform, which he took it upon himself to make a few modifications to.

He ditched the school-standard jacket in favor for a blue sweater vest, which he found to be more comfortable and more in tune with his style. He took a small pin of Gekkoukan High's school logo and placed it above his left breast. He also switched out the black bow tie for a standard blue tie. Finally, he rolled up the sleeves on the white dress shirt he wore underneath up to his elbows to complete the look. With a final glance into the mirror, Minato nodded to himself and gathered his things to take to school.

When he reached the bottom floor, he encountered an unfamiliar silver haired boy who was slinging a jacket over his shoulder. The boy looked to be a good head and a half taller than Minato, and his slim but fit physique seemed to hint at a rigorous exercise program. His school uniform was similar to Minato's, with a red sweater vest and gloves. He also seemed to be wearing the same armband that Yukari and Mitsuru were wearing the night before.

The silver haired teen must've heard Minato, as he turned around a gave a polite nod to the bluenette.

"You must be Minato Arisato." Minato nodded in response. "That's me."

"I'm Akihiko Sanada, pleasure to meet you. I heard you arrived late last night. Everything go okay on your way here?" Akihiko raised an eyebrow quizzically as Minato let out a small sigh. "Nothing out of the ordinary," Akihiko looked slightly puzzled at that, but he didn't interrupt, "though I would be lying if I said the welcome to the dorm was normal." Minato furrowed his brow as he spoke, which caused the taller teen to chuckle.

"I heard about that. Try not to let it get to you, though. Can never be too careful with all the incidents recently." Akihiko stretched a little bit before reaching for the door leading outside. "If you're heading to school, want to accompany me? It's your first day here, after all, and trying to find your way to the station can be hell."

"Sure, Sanada-san. Lead the way." With that, the two teens exited the building and worked their way towards the train station.

"If you don't mind me asking, Sanada-san, what's with the armbands that you guys wear? Yukari-san and Kirijo-san were wearing the same thing." Akihiko simply hummed in response as he mulled over what to tell the blue haired teen.

"It's a school club. All dorm members are a part of it, but you're only in our dorm for the time being. Something about a mix-up with the school or something." Minato raised his eyebrow at this.

"Well that's the first time I've heard of a mix-up…" Minato furrowed his brow once again. "I'm sure whatever it was will get resolved within the week. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you." Akihiko assured him.

The rest of the walk to the station had been pleasant. The two teens engaged in small talk about the area and the different shops they saw. When they boarded the train, they found themselves talking about the school and the different clubs one could join.

"The captain of the boxing team, eh? Gotta admit, kind of surprised at that one, Sanada-san. I figured you for a track runner or something." Minato chuckled sheepishly.

"I get that a lot, but there's nothing more thrilling than being in the ring. Gets the blood pumping, y'know?" Akihiko's eyes burned with determination and the confident smirk on his face reminded Minato of his old Fencing team captain who was always looking for a good opponent.

"I understand that. I used to practice Fencing, so I can relate with that feeling of adrenaline." Minato grimaced at the memories of his old school's fencing team, if one could even call it that. It was small, and didn't receive much school funding, so most of the members had to bring their own equipment. That coupled with a few brutal training sessions with his brother when they were younger made him despise fencing, but he would be lying to himself if he said it wasn't fun sometimes.

Minato was brought out of his reflection by the screeching of the train, signaling their stop.

"This is our stop, ready to go?" Minato simply nodded in return and the two teens exited the station. "Gekkoukan has a Fencing team. You should consider signing up when you can." Akihiko didn't seem to notice the small scoff Minato gave to that idea. If fencing was anything like his old school, they wouldn't be very inclusive to new members. It was a competitive sport, after all, which meant that entry to the team was going to be higher than normal, and Minato hadn't practiced in years.

When the teens made their way to the school gates, Minato noticed just how massive the school was. It definitely wasn't what he was expecting. The building was much larger than he anticipated. Tatsumi Port Island was small, so to see such a large school here could only mean one thing…

"This school is funded by someone important, isn't it?" Akihiko glanced back at Minato, who was still gazing at the large building in front of them.

"The Kirijo Group funds the school, pays the staff, and keeps it operational." Minato simply nodded in thought.

"Figures they would. They do own the island after all. It only makes sense that they would own the school too, I suppose." Akihiko chuckle at the bluenette's demeanor. "You don't seem to be a big fan of them." At that, Minato only smiled wryly.

"It's more like my family isn't a big fan of them. I couldn't care less, myself." Akihiko raised his eyebrow at that.

"Why doesn't your family like them? Did they do something?" Minato was slightly taken aback by this. He thought Akihiko knew about his family, but it seems he was unaware of the bad blood between the two aristocratic groups.

"The Arisato Corporation isn't a very big fan of the Kirijo Group. The rivalry's older than me, so I wouldn't really know a lot of the details." Minato decided to keep his description of the rivalry short, as going into detail would have Minato recounting years and years of hatred and attempted Yakuza hits the two families conducted against each other.

This seemed to make Akihiko's eyes widen even more. "You're from a rival family of the Kirijo Group? I'll be honest, I never really pegged you for an aristocrat." Minato chuckled.

"I get that a lot. My brother's the stuck-up one in the family. I, personally, hate the attention that I get at my old school, so I would appreciate if we could keep my family's status a secret between us." Akihiko took the hint, but shook his head at Minato's request.

"At this point, it doesn't really matter. It's only going to take one person to recognize you to spur the rumor mill at school." Minato sighed in annoyance as the two entered the front doors of the school.

"You're right. I just want- "Minato's grievances were cut off by a loud screeching noise that was akin to a banshee.

"IT'S AKIHIKO-SENPAI!" With that, a large parade of twenty female students stormed through the crowd of students and started charging towards the silver haired boxer.

"Oh no."

"Do you know these girls, Sanada-san?"

"Oh shit."

"Sanada-san…?"

"Run."

With that, Minato was dragged by the collar of his shirt down a hallway and around a corner. They were hidden between two vending machines.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Shh!" Akihiko pushed them farther into the vending machines.

Within a couple of seconds, the sounds of twenty pairs of feet filled the hallways, but, to Minato's surprise, not a single girl thought to check the obvious hiding place the two teens were located at. They both waited for the hallway to clear before exiting their hiding spot.

"Well, you seem to be popular with the ladies." Akihiko glared at the bluenette.

"I don't even know their names. They just berate me with questions and won't leave me alone." Akihiko sighed. "Anyways, you should make your way to the faculty office. Your homeroom teacher should be waiting. I gotta go check in with my homeroom. See you around, Minato!" With a final wave, Akihiko disappeared and Minato was left alone in the hallway.

Minato followed the directions of a fellow student he met in the school's lobby to find the faculty office. The faculty office itself was nothing too remarkable. Messy desks and folders on top of folders. There was only one other person in the office, however; a brunette lady with her hair tied into a bun with red glasses and a white blazer. Minato walked over to introduce himself.

When he reached her, Minato could've sworn he heard her muttering something about a library committee and someone called 'Hasegawa', but he couldn't really care less at this point. He just wanted to get to class. She seemed to come out of her thoughts as he approached.

"Oh, you must be the transfer student," she rummaged through a few folders before pulling one out and scanning the documents contained within, "Minato Arisato, correct? You're a third year despite only being in high school for one year. Skip a grade?" She flashed Minato a friendly smile.

"My family thought it appropriate for me to finish High School as soon as possible." Minato saw her nod her head in response as she continued reading the document. Her face seemed to darken as she got further down the page and the smile on her face was replaced with a sympathetic frown. Minato could guess at what she had just read.

"I see. Well, I'm Ms. Ounishi. I teach science and I'm also the homeroom teacher of 3-C, which, just so happens to be your homeroom. There's a school assembly soon, so I'll lead you to the gym. Afterwards, I'll introduce you to the class." Minato bowed in response.

"Thank you, Ms. Ounishi." This garnered a chuckle out of the teacher. "My, you're polite."

Minato smiled in return. "Follow me. The gym is this way."

The assembly was dreadfully boring, and Minato was fighting the ever-growing urge to lower his head and shut his eyes. The only thing keeping him somewhat awake was the incessant amount of conversations around him. Minato was about to give in to temptation when a poke on his shoulder roused him once again.

"Hey, I heard you arrived with Sanada-san this morning. Do you know if he has a girlfriend?" Minato sighed in annoyance at the girl's question. How would he know? Better yet, why would he care?

"I don't know. Maybe you should ask him instead of bugging me about it, yeah?" Minato glared at the girl who didn't seem to understand his annoyed tone.

The rest of the assembly went by smoothly. Boring, most definitely, but smoothly, nonetheless. When Minato's class got up to leave, he noticed a familiar silver haired teen walking towards him.

"Hey there. You in 3-C too?" Minato nodded in response. Akihiko chuckled and shook his head.

"What a coincidence. One might think this is fate, if they were inclined to believe that." Minato fought back a yawn as he stretched his arms out. The assembly had taken most of the morning hours, and Minato felt it.

The rest of the walk back to the classroom had been comfortably silent, with Minato taking in the school's layout.

"Attention class, we have a transfer student. Would you like to introduce yourself?" Minato gave a polite, respectful bow and flashed a smile towards the class.

"I'm Minato Arisato. It's a pleasure to meet you all." A few grumbles of indifference could be heard, but there were also a few distinct gasps among the students.

"THE Arisato!? Why would he come here _?_ " He heard one student whisper.

' _Well that's just great. Anonymity lasted all of five seconds_ ' Minato grimaced and scanned the room. A few stunned students looked at him in awe, while a few others, mostly male, looked on him with envy. He soon locked eyes with Akihiko which gave him an amused smirk and a shrug.

"Let's see… Ah! You can sit by Sanada-san, Arisato-san." Ms. Ounishi pointed towards the empty seat to the right of Akihiko.

"But, Ms. Ounishi, that's Aragaki-san's seat." A student called out in what had to be the whiniest voice possible.

"Well when Aragaki feels bothered to come to school, he can have his seat back, until then, this is fine." Ms. Ounishi's words only seemed to cause a few more grumbles and snickers among the student population of the classroom.

Minato took his seat without further question, and the rest of the day seemed to go by quickly. When the final bell rang, all the students packed up their things and started heading out of the class. Minato was about to follow suit when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"So how was your first day here?" Akihiko smirked at the blue haired teen's sigh.

"Wasn't as bad as I was expecting, though it was dreadfully boring. Not to mention the fact of my family's reputation is sure to spread like wildfire." Akihiko chuckled again.

"What did you expect? The Rival of the Kirijo Group in a Kirijo-owned school. It's only natural that they would eat up a story like that." Minato sighed again.

"I know, I just don't like it." Akihiko nodded his head in agreement.

"Trust me, I know how you feel." The silver haired boxer grimaced at the thought of his brigade of dedicated fangirls. "Well, I'll see you later, Minato. Got things to set up for the boxing team. If I were you, I'd head straight back to the dorm" Akihiko gave the blue haired teen a small wave who only nodded in response.

"See you at the dorm, Akihiko." With that, the two teens departed and went their separate ways.

The streets of Tatsumi Port Island were packed. Minato had underestimated the amount of people living in such a small area, and was constantly surprised by the eccentric individuals he encountered on his way back to the dorm. He saw an old couple arguing outside a bookstore, he saw a white Shiba Inu playing with a kid at the local shrine, and a rather predatory-looking business man trying to get a Gekkoukan student to pay him 5000 yen around Paulownia Mall.

When Minato finally reached the dorm, the sun was just starting to set, bathing the streets in an orange hue. He opened the front door of the dorm, and was greeted by a familiar pink loving brunette and a new face; an older gentleman with glasses and a brown business suit.

"Hey, Minato-san, or, I guess it would be Minato-senpai now." Yukari smiled softly at Minato's entrance, and the older man stood up and extended a greeting hand towards the newly arrived teen.

"Hello, Yukari-san," Minato smiled at the brunette and turned to shake the hand of the stranger.

"I'm Shuji Ikutsuki, hard to say, isn't it? Even I get tongue tied sometimes!" Ikutsuki gave a chuckle at his own statement.

' _It's not that hard…_ ' Minato was confused at the man's statement. ' _He must be a special kind of dumb if he botches up his own name._ '

"I'm the school chairman, so I should be able to answer any questions you might have. With that said, is there anything you want to know?" Minato scratched his chin thoughtfully for a moment before answering.

"One question comes to mind: When will the situation regarding my dorm placement be resolved? I'd hate to start unpacking only to have to move again so soon." Ikutsuki chuckled at that and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about that. Everything is being sorted out as we speak. You can expect to have your new dorm assignments by the end of the week." Minato nodded at that and gave a polite bow to the bespectacled man.

"Thank you, Ikutsuki-san. I don't have any further questions at the moment."

"Well, if that's the case, why don't you go to bed? It's a long walk from the train station from here, and you must be exhausted. I'm sure Yukari and the others would be willing to answer any other questions you might have. Speaking of which, where is Mitsuru, Yukari?" Said girl nodded her head towards the stairs and said:

"She's on the fourth floor, Ikutsuki-san." Ikutsuki frowned a bit at that.

"Wouldn't hurt for her to say hello every once in a while, would it?" Minato simply said his goodbyes to the pair and walked up the stairs towards his room. On his way up, he noticed a familiar red headed woman descending the stair case leading to the girls' floor of the dorm.

"Kirijo-san, hello." Minato gave a polite bow to the Kirijo Heiress.

"Likewise, Arisato-san. How was your first day at Gekkoukan?" Minato scowled a bit as he remembered Akihiko's fangirl brigade and the rumors that were bound to be spreading like wildfire across the school about his family, but it would be impolite to say anything other than something positive.

"It was great, Kirijo-san. Gekkoukan seems to be quite prestigious, and I look forward to spending my final school year here." This seemed to satisfy Mitsuru, as she hummed in approval of his response.

"You should get some rest. You look tired, Arisato-san." Minato chuckled sheepishly at that. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't somewhat tired. The missed opportunity of a nap during the school assembly had made him even more exhausted.

"I'll do just that, Kirijo-san." They gave each other one last polite nod before going their separate ways. Minato opened the door to his room and began changing into more comfortable attire when his phone rang. He rummaged through his belongings until he found the device. He glanced at the caller ID and sighed in annoyance before flipping it open and answering it.

"What do you want, Makoto?" Minato heard a small chuckle on the other side of the phone.

"Just wanted to check in on my baby brother. Make sure he didn't get arrested again and all that." Minato pinched his nose in frustration.

"Did you call just to be a prick, or do you actually have something important to say?" The phone went silent for a moment, and stayed that way until Minato heard a small sigh on the other end.

"Have you visited Mother and Father yet?" Minato felt a pang of guilt in his chest. He hadn't even thought about it. Their parents were buried here, against the wishes of his uncle of course.

"No…. I haven't." Minato fiddled around with his MP3 player a little bit; feeling the buttons with his thumb. He heard a huff of annoyance from the other end.

"Of course, you haven't," Minato felt his anger return, but remained silent, "well, when you get the chance, call me." Minato became confused. It was odd for his brother to ever tell him to call him.

"Any reason why?" Makoto cleared his throat, and his voice seem to sober a bit.

"I was looking through Uncle's old files and I found something… interesting. I don't want to talk so much over the phone. Frankly, I don't have the time. Just call me after you visit our parents' graves, then we can schedule a meeting in person." Minato was stunned. It was very rare for the two to have a civil conversation, but for one to actually reach out to the other was unheard of.

"Okay…. Um… I'll call you then." Makoto simply hummed in response.

"Talk to you later…. Mina." A small click indicated that the phone call had ended. Minato sat in silence for a moment. Makoto hadn't called him Mina in years. Not since the accident with their parents.

What was so important that he had to tell Minato in person? Why did it matter that he visited his parents' graves? Minato continued to dwell on these questions as he lay in bed, but soon gave into exhaustion.

Elsewhere, in the dorm, three figures sat in front of a complex computer screen watching the blue haired teen as he slept.

"Do you think he has the potential?" A red headed teen glanced towards the bespectacled man beside her.

"Well, let's find out." In an instant, the sky turned green and the lights fizzled out, leaving the room in an eerie green glow.

The three figures looked towards the computer screen and saw that Minato undergone no change. He was still fast asleep in his bed.

"They would've preyed on him by now if he didn't have the potential." The older gentleman studied the boy curiously.

"Then it must be true. Minato Arisato holds the potential."

 **Author's Note: First off, I want to apologize for how long it took me to get this chapter out. I don't really have an excuse, but I'll try not to make the long wait a habit of mine. The chapters are far too short to warrant long breaks in between them. Anyways, next chapter will cover the Awakening and all that, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to right a competent action scene. Fingers crossed! As always, please drop a review, and don't be afraid to ask questions. To answer a guest question, outside of small references here and there, the Nanjo Group won't be an Active faction in this story. They are nothing more than to provide more context to the backstory of the Arisato Corporation and the Kirijo Group.**


	4. Awakening

**Author's Note: Hey, guys! I didn't expect to take this long without an update, but I decided that enough was enough! I also decided to not do a commentary for every chapter. Instead, I'll be doing it for important chapters to keep the word inflation to a minimum. Anyways, here's chapter three!**

* * *

 _April 8, 2009_

Minato hated mornings. Living in Tokyo only made them worse. The sound of the bustling streets and angry passersby made the morning rush hell, and, to Minato's dismay, Port Island was no different. The streets were filled with students and business men and women on their way to work and school, which made the challenge Minato was dragged into even harder.

He had been rushed out of the dorm by Akihiko, who had wanted to race Minato to the station. Not hard, Minato thought, he was used to regular exercise, but Akihiko was a different beast entirely. His training regimen was absurd, and even the best track runner would have a tough time keeping pace with him.

Needless to say, Minato lost, but, he was told by the silver haired boxer that he put in a good effort, which was good enough for the blue haired teen.

The rest of the commute to school was spent mustering up whatever remaining energy Minato had. Akihiko didn't even look like he broke a sweat, which made the blue haired teen angry, as he was attempting to dry his damp hair before they reached the school gates.

The rest of the day was dull, for the most part. Mr. Ono, the school's history teacher, had gone on an incessant rant about the Sengoku Era and the superiority of Samurais when compared to Medieval knights. It had gotten so bad that Minato really wished a bloodthirsty samurai would appear and end his life at that very moment, but that wasn't what life had in store for him, he supposed.

He returned to the dorm alone, again. Akihiko had more business to take care of and Minato didn't really want to deal with another hoard of fangirls, so he said his goodbyes to the boxer and made his way back to his temporary home.

The walk home had been quiet, and Minato was able to find a quicker way back to the dorm, which shaved roughly ten minutes off his normal walk route. Giving himself a mental high five, he entered the dorm.

The Chairman was there again, today, and he was conversing with Mitsuru when Minato walked in. Minato greeted the two, but was puzzled by Ikutsuki's presence. He decided that he didn't really care why the chairman was there, so he simply gave a polite greeting to the two before making his way towards the stair case.

By the time Minato had entered his room, the sun had fallen and the moon shone through his window. He set his school bag down on his desk and pondered on what to do for the rest of the night. He wasn't particularly tired, and he didn't really feel up to watching TV.

Finally, after pondering over how to spend his free time, he arrived at the conclusion that there was nothing 'fun' he could do, so he turned his attention towards doing something productive. He pulled out a few of his textbooks, turned on the lamp that illuminated his desk, and began familiarizing himself with the material he would need to know over the school year.

He studied well into the night, blocking out anything and everything else around him with his music. However, no matter how hard he tried, something was bothering him. It was a gnawing feeling, like the kind someone would get when they've heard something unsettling.

' _Talk to you later…. Mina_ '

Makoto's words still lingered in Minato's mind. The first time in years he had been called the silly nickname his parents gave him. Years of animosity and hate towards his brother were washed away and replaced with something he couldn't quite explain when those words were spoken. When their parents died, Minato and Makoto coped in different ways. Makoto found solace in his studies and duties as heir to the Arisato Corporation, but Minato… he had nothing.

So instead of focusing on his future, he wallowed in self-pity. Blocking out the world with music and apathy. Makoto overcame the experience with relative ease, and that made Minato angry, but he couldn't show it. He had to be the respectable Arisato child he was expected to be. He had to be well spoken, smart, and above all else, appear as if he had a perfectly normal childhood. Makoto accomplished this. He was praised for his academic capabilities and placed on a pedestal. A shining beacon for what Minato should strive to become. This made the younger heir livid, and it was that anger that gave way to a deep resentment towards his older brother.

But even then, there was something that held that anger back. Whether it was his upbringing, or memories of a better time, Minato didn't know. All he knew is that he couldn't really hate his brother all the time. There were times where Minato would wish that they could get along, but their circumstances prevented that from happening.

Even still, there were times, and they were more common than what Minato would've liked, that Makoto's bickering would send him over the edge. Minato would snap, and all that pain he was holding back would unleash, and Makoto would retaliate. It was what was said during these moments that stopped any friendship from forming between the two. Anger overtook common sense, and harsh words would be traded between the two, leaving them angrier than when they first started fighting.

So why was it that a silly nickname washed all that anger away, and what was so important that Makoto had to meet Minato in person? Why did Makoto choose now, of all times, to talk to his brother as if there weren't years of animosity between the two? These questions continued to bother Minato even when he tried to block them out with mindless studying. He couldn't escape his own curiosity.

Minato was finally brought out of his musing by the abrupt stop of his music. He looked up from his textbook to see a sickly, yellow moon and a green sky. He looked around the room. Utter darkness surrounded him, and his stomach churned at the sight of blood outside his window on the street. He shrugged it off, however, and decided now would be the time to call it a night. He put his textbook inside his school bag and collapsed on his bed. He was more tired than he realized.

* * *

The three figures in the control room were studying Minato's room again. The blue haired was silently scribbling away in his notebook when the Dark Hour hit.

"Amazing. He doesn't even seem fazed by it!" One figure called, prompting a small shake of disapproval from one other figure and a hum in agreement from the other.

"Don't you feel kind of bad? Spying on him like this…" One figure asked, which caused the older gentleman to rest a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Come now, Yukari. It's important that we monitor his capabilities. If he does have the potential, we need to be cautious that they don't prey on him." This seemed to only make Yukari less sure, as she glanced at the screen worriedly.

"It's fine, Takeba. Arisato seems to have adapted to the Dark Hour, well, all things considered." Mitsuru studied the screen intently. Arisato's behavior was abnormal, to say the least. He lacked an observable reaction to the arrival of the Dark Hour, and he seemed to simply shrug it off as if it had been nothing more but a nuisance. He behavior was… fascinating.

Ikutsuki seemed to share this opinion, as he stared at the screen with awe and surprise. If Mitsuru hadn't known any better, she might've suspected the Chairman of being a mad scientist.

"Well, I guess we can say that Minato's room is very DARK this HOUR!" Mitsuru and Yukari let out a collective sigh.

If only she hadn't known any better.

 _April 9, 2009_

Minato _really_ hated mornings. His late-night studying had taken a toll on him, and he felt sluggish and exhausted when he woke up. He washed up as best he could and slipped into his modified uniform, grabbed his bag, and made his way downstairs.

He was expecting to see Akihiko downstairs, eager to go on another run, he wagered, but instead he found Mitsuru. She was just about to leave when she noticed the blue haired teen. She turned to him and gave him a polite smile, but noticed his slightly disheveled state.

"Rough night, Arisato-san?" Minato only gave a small nod in response. "I was just about to head out. Would you like to accompany me?" At that, Minato gave her a polite smile.

"Sure, Kirijo-san." With that, the two aristocrats made their way out the dorm.

"I'll be honest, Arisato-san, I didn't expect you to be a senior. You must be very academically capable if you managed to skip a grade." Minato rubbed his head sheepishly at that.

"More like my family is financially capable. Trust me, Kirijo-san, I'm not some kind of prodigy. My uncle saw it important for me to finish school as fast as possible so I was set up with summer tutors. Without that, I would be a junior." Mitsuru smiled a bit at his humble approach. Most people would brag about their wealthy status, but Minato seemed to treat it as a burden more than anything else. Certainly not the behavior she had expected when she had read his file.

"Still, tutors can only go so far. You must have at least some natural talent to pass tests higher than your recommended level." Minato gave a simple hum in response to that.

"My brother was always the more academically rounded one. I just follow in his footsteps." The hint of annoyance in Minato's voice was not lost on her, and she turned her head to study his face. His eyes which once showed innocence had a hint of anger in them, and she decided not to push that subject any further. This left them in an awkward silence as Mitsuru mulled over other possible topics.

"Say, Kirijo-san, when did you first learn of our families' feud?" Mitsuru questioned whether or not this subject was any less touchy than the last one, but decided to go along with it once she saw the small smile on Minato's face.

"I first learned of the Arisato Corporation when I sat in on a meeting when I was younger. They talked about how your family was taking Tokyo's stock rather quickly, which made quite a few board members angry, if I recall." Minato chuckled a bit. The Arisato Corporation had a strong base in Tokyo, and it was no secret that the Kirijo Group had wanted to spread out to the major cities, but the Arisato Corp. was already well-ingrained in most areas by the time the Kirijo Group started their major conquest.

"Interesting. I first heard of the "Kirijo Menace"," Minato made over exaggerated air quotes at that, "when my uncle tried to buy out the remnants of Fushimi Electronics." Mitsuru smiled at that. She remembered her father fighting tooth and nail in order to get that company, and it was well worth it, as Fushimi Electronics was rebranded as Kirijo Electronics and it soon became the largest part of the Kirijo Group's business.

"It seems our families shared no mercy when mentioning the other." Minato simply shook his head. They were already getting off the train and making their way towards the school grounds.

"Seems like it. Though I would wager that our families are highly mistaken about what the other is like." Mitsuru smiled at this. It was quite easy to talk to Arisato. He didn't treat her like royalty, which was probably due to his similar status, and he didn't stammer and trip over his words like so many others did when they talked to her. He was just… himself. It didn't seem like he was hiding an ulterior motive behind his words nor did it seem like he was trying to impress her. True to what Akihiko said about the blue haired teen, he was easy to hold a conversation with.

When they reached the school grounds, many students were already eyeing the pair as they passed. It was inevitable, of course, but that didn't stop it from being annoying. Minato had really hoped to avoid the exact situation he found himself in, but deep down he knew this was going to happen, and that only made it worse.

Mitsuru cleared her throat and turned to him. "I have to go to the faculty office for something. I'll see you later, Minato-san." The use of the boy's first name was not lost on him, and he took the hint.

"Well, in that case, have a good day, Mitsuru-san." With that, the two said their goodbyes and Minato made his way towards his classroom.

The rest of the day was, once again, boring. Minato managed to bail Akihiko out when their Literature teacher, Ms. Toriumi, caught the boxer day dreaming, but besides that, the day went off without a hitch. After class, Akihiko said he had to go take care of more things for the boxing club, and left Minato to return to the dorm alone.

When Minato returned, he found the bottom floor empty, which wasn't a huge surprise. The other residents were probably busy with their own things, and Minato hadn't joined a club yet so it's not like he had much of an excuse to stay out late. Opting to return to his room and get some much-needed rest, he ascended the stair case.

* * *

 _Later that Night_

Mitsuru was on the fourth floor of the dormitory monitoring the large screen in front of her. Arisato had gone to bed early, and was sleeping once the Dark Hour hit. He still didn't seem to show a single reaction to it. Most people would be awoken by the sudden change in the world, but he didn't seem to be affected at all.

' _This should be a good thing, but why do I feel like something isn't right._ '

She pursed her lips and pinched the bridge of her nose. His behavior was… off. Unless he was a special case, something should've happened. A slight movement, an abrupt awakening, anything would've been less unsettling than nothing. She heard the door to the room open and glanced over to see a pink clad junior walk in.

"How's he doing?" Yukari walked over to the console and observed the boy in question. The blue haired teen was still asleep.

"He's been asleep for the last few hours. He doesn't seem to be reacting to the Dark Hour." Yukari nodded her head and turned to ask another question, but she was interrupted by a beeping red light on the console.

Mitsuru quickly pushed the button. "Is that you, Akihiko?"

A large crash rang out and the sound of someone running could be heard.

"I may have done something wrong, Mitsuru! I found a shadow, but it's not an ordinary one! This thing is huge!" Mitsuru's stomach tightened and she quickly turned to the younger teen.

"Takeba, get our equipment and meet me downstairs!" The brunette nodded hurriedly and ran out of the room.

Mitsuru sighed. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Minato was a heavy sleeper. Loud noises did not easily awake him. It was one of the traits living in the city gave him, but the rumbling he just felt? That was enough to wake the sleepiest of giants. His eyes shot open and he observed his room. It was _that_ time, which meant that electronics wouldn't work, making his attempts to flip his lamp on futile. He hurried out of bed as the rumbling became louder.

He was legitimately freaked out now. Not once in the two years' worth of nights had he experienced this sensation during this time. He put on some loose-fitting clothes when a knock turned his attention to the door.

"It's Yukari! Are you awake!? I-I'm coming in!" With that, the brunette barged into the room. Minato could see she was panicking, and she had that gun strapped to her waist, but that wasn't all. This time, she had a saber and a bow in both her hands, and she had a quiver of arrows on her back. "Here! Akihiko said you would probably want this." She tossed him the saber.

"What exactly is going on he- "but Minato was stopped by another loud crash.

"I don't have time to explain! Just come with me!" Yukari grabbed Minato's free hand and guided him down the stair case. When they reached the bottom floor she lead him behind the kitchen to a door in the back.

"Come on! We need to get out of here before- "but she was cut off by another crash. This time, however, the crash was closer and sounded like it was just on the other side of the door.

"Crap!" Yukari started panicking more. This wasn't looking good, and all that Minato could do was stare at her in disbelief. Whatever was causing this rumbling obviously posed a serious danger, but Minato couldn't figure out what the hell it was. Two years of experiencing this other-worldly time, and not once did he ever encounter something that could put his life in danger. Minato almost couldn't keep up with what was happening.

"Okay…okay. Oh! I got it! Come on Senpai! We can go to the roof!" Before Minato could respond, he was being dragged up the stairs again. The rumbling didn't stop, however, in fact, it was getting louder.

When they reached the roof, Yukari locked the door behind them and breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Okay. We should be safe up here." Minato was about to retort that it was probably too soon to celebrate, but whatever was following them decided to fire back for him. A large crash moved the teens' attention towards the edge of the building.

A single, oily, black hand was crawling its way up the side of the building. Minato looked at it in disbelief. This couldn't be happening right now. Surely it was a dream.

As if hearing Minato's thoughts, the hand was followed by another, but this time, the hand was holding something. A blue, hollow mask peered up over the ledge of the building. It scanned its "eyes" over the building before settling on the pair of teens, as if it had seen them. In mere seconds, a dozen hands appeared holding knives that glinted off the yellow moon and the creature fully pulled itself onto the roof.

It was indescribably odd looking. Its body was an oily blob of hands that protruded from the center, with one main hand in the middle that held up the mask. It used two free hands to drag itself over the rooftop, and it made a screeching noise as it drew nearer.

Yukari's breathing became less focused, more erratic, and uneven. Minato unsheathed the saber and took a familiar fighting stance. If he was going to die, he was going to die with some dignity. Yukari, on the other hand, reached for the gun and turned it upon herself. Minato wasn't sure what she was doing at first, and pondered a bit on whether or not the gun was actually loaded now, but then realized what she was trying to do and attempted to stop her.

"H-hey what do you think you're doing!?" Yukari put out a hand to stop Minato.

"Don't worry! I can do this…" Minato paused for a moment while he questioned the girl's sanity, but was then brought out of his stupor when the creature outstretched a hand to stop Yukari.

"Look out!" But it was too late. The hand swatted the girl away like she was nothing, and then turned its attention towards the blue haired boy. Minato panicked, and quickly pondered over how he was supposed to defeat this thing. He scanned his eyes over the rooftop before he settled on the gun, which was now right at his feet. He looked at it for a moment, but then it hit him.

' **Pick it up.'**

Minato reached down and grabbed the gun. He felt the weight of the object. It wasn't very heavy, but it had a satisfying balance to it. He stared at the object in his hands for what felt like hours.

' **Is it power that you seek? This object can grant it to you. All you have to do is take it.'**

Power.

A word so simple, yet so important. Minato's mind flashed to the memories of his younger days.

 _Minato was nursing his bruised hand with an ice pack when the person in front of him turned around, dressed in the same white garb as him. He sheathed his rapier and gave the teen a look of disappointment._

" _I would've thought you'd be better now. Guess I was wrong about that." Minato tried to find a retort, but he stayed silent._

" _Power, Minato. That is what you lack. It is the quintessential element that makes all great men. In order to protect those you love, in order to keep what you want safe, you need power. Remember that." Makoto turned around and walked out of the room, leaving Minato to throw his saber in a fit of rage._

" _I have power, Makoto, and one day, I'll show you."_

Minato brought the gun up to his head and pressed it against his temple. His breath was shaky and uneven, and he felt sick to his stomach.

' **This is the day that you will have power. This is the day that you will show him what you're capable of. This is the day that you will surpass their expectations. Now, show me you have the strength to accomplish your goals.'**

Minato steadied his breath and focused on the cold steel that was up to his head. It should feel so wrong, but something about it felt great. It should be dangerous, but there was something about the act that excited him. He let a smirk tug at his lips and he closed his eyes.

"Per….so….na!" Minato whipped back as he pulled the trigger. A sensation he had never felt before washed over him. The sickness that he felt was replaced with pure bliss, and the smirk on his face was replaced by a large grin. He let out a chuckle, which turned into a giggle, which then turned into full blown laughter as blue energy and flames engulfed him.

A creature rose out behind Minato. A mechanical body which lead to a red scarf that concealed half the face of the humanoid figure. The most striking aspect of the creature was the white hair that looked very similar to Minato's own. The creature reached behind its back and pulled a lyre out.

' **From the sea of thy soul I cometh. I am Orpheus, Master of Strings!'**

It played a few notes of its lyre and fire erupted at the black creature's base, which sent it flying back away from Minato. The teen smirked again and brought the gun to his temple. With another pull of the trigger, Orpheus was summoned again, but this time, it charged at the creature and smacked it with his lyre, sending it into the side of the building next to the dorm.

The creature let out a frustrated screech and leaped towards the persona, which dodged out of the way and summon another fireball that sent the creature reeling a bit. Minato smirked yet again and charged at the creature with his saber. When it tried to jump at him, he slid under it and slashed upwards, effectively gutting the creature with one swipe.

When it landed, it screeched in pain again, giving Minato enough time to summon Orpheus. This time, the Master of Strings smashed his lyre into the mask of the creature. The mask shattered and broke apart, leaving nothing but a jumbled mess of hands left. Before Minato could slice a hand off, however, the creature dissolved, leaving nothing but a mess of black blood and viscera on the rooftop. Minato smiled as Orpheus disappeared.

The teen would've turned to see who had just barged through the rooftop entrance, but before he could, he felt exhaustion wash over his body, and before he knew it, the world became black.

 **Author's Note: Woop! Another chapter done! Hope I managed to make the fight somewhat entertaining. Fight scenes have always been my biggest weakness as a writer, so I'm worries about how it turned out. If you guys have any concerns or questions/complaints regarding the story, please, by all means, let me know! I'll be happy to answer them as best I can! Take care everyone! Until next time!**

 **P.S. I do beta work now, so for anyone in need of a beta reader, consider me, because I'll be more than happy to do so!**


	5. SEES

" _Mom!" The boy moaned, causing a sigh of annoyance from everyone else in the car._

" _What, Mina?" His mother responded, careful to keep her growing frustration out of her voice._

" _Why does Mako get all the candy?!" This caused a small chuckle from the boy in question, who turned to face his younger sibling._

"' _Cuz I'm older! Which makes me better than you!" Mina glared at the older boy, and turned to his father for support._

" _Well, he's got you there, Minato." The younger boy's eyes widened when he realized nobody in this car was on his side._

" _Don't encourage him!" His mother snapped at his father, who only chuckled in response. "Mako, share some of your candy with your brother."_

" _But Mom…!" Makoto's eyes widened at his mother, who only held a hand up to signal him to stop talking._

" _Don't argue with me, Mako." Said boy simply sighed in response before chucking a few pieces of candy at his younger brother, who let out a victorious laugh. Their parents both let out a small chuckle at the boys' behavior._

 _His mother turned to face him, and gave him a warm, yet mischievous smirk. "Since you got some of Mako's candy, Mina, he gets first hour on the PlayStation tomorrow." Makoto let out a laugh and stuck his tongue out at Minato, who simply looked shocked._

" _Whaa?" Was all that he could muster with three pieces of candy in his mouth._

 _His father was saying… something, but it was as if he was hearing him while underwater. His words were distorted, and everything around him slowed to a crawl. Minato looked around the car. His brother was still laughing, his father was still talking, and his mother was still shaking her head, but everything looked… off._

 _Yes, he thought, of course everything would look off. This was the last time he had seen his parents. His father's disheveled black hair and caring eyes. His mother's smile and warmth. This was the last moment before…_

 _In a moment, an explosion could be heard, followed by the shattering of glass and a skid of tires. Everything after that was hazy, as if he were underwater again. His vision went black, but he could make out bits and pieces of noises. An inhuman screech, followed by a metallic clang, followed by… gunfire?_

 _Minato tried to open his eyes; to see his parents again. To hear his mother's voice. To see his father's smile, but everything was gone. He felt a sensation of vertigo, and he felt himself slipping away towards a chasm; an abyss of nothingness. He tried to look up towards the light. He tried to reach his hand out to grasp the last remnant of his old life. The life he loved so dearly, the life that held his parents' love and Makoto's happiness. The life that he was robbed of._

 _But as he reached towards the light, it closed, and he felt a cold chill work its way up his body, and before he could scream in anguish, everything went black._

* * *

Minato jolted out of bed. His breath was shaky and his throat was hoarse. He opened his eyes, but was greeted by a blinding white light. His head was pounding, and he was certain this was what a hangover must've felt like. He collapsed back into the bed and groaned. He pulled the covers over his head, and tried to open his eyes once again.

From the sliver of light out from under the covers, he could see _pink_ , and he became aware that he wasn't alone. With a final groan, he pushed the covers off him, and blinked his eyes a couple of times. He wasn't in his dorm room, he could tell that much, his room was never this bright. He looked towards the side of the bed to a familiar face.

"You're awake!" Yukari smiled at the blue haired boy. "You've been sleeping for a week!" Her smile quickly turned into a concerned frown. "Are you okay? It… looked like you were having a nightmare…" She averted her gaze.

Minato grimaced. "I'm fine." Was all that he could think of. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about his troubled past with a girl he hardly knew.

"To be honest… I'm sorta like you." Yukari looked up. Her eyes indicated sadness and her lips quivered slightly. "My dad died when I was little. My mom… she wasn't there for me. My dad was working in a Kirijo Lab before the accident here ten years ago. He… didn't survive." Her voice shook even more. "You're all alone too, right? I read your background when you were admitted here, I'm sorry for that. It probably wasn't my place-"

Minato put his hand up to stop her. "Don't apologize. It's fine. I'm sorry for your loss. I know what it's like to grow up like that. It sucks." He swallowed, and winced at the pain in his throat before he continued, "What did you mean when you said "admitted here", and what happened before that?" Yukari took the hint, and sighed.

"Do you remember what happened before you woke up today?" Minato nodded. Images of fire and power rushed through his mind. "We call that 'Persona', and that monster you fought? We call them shadows. Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai will tell you more when you get back, but that's the short version." Minato nodded once more, and turned his head to scan the room. His eyes landed on the IV strip in his arm, and turned once again to Yukari with a raised eyebrow.

"Doctors said you were dehydrated." An amused smile tugged at her lips. "You gave us quite a scare. Nobody could find anything wrong with you." Minato hummed in response.

"Sorry for the inconvenience that must've been." Yukari let out a chuckle at his apology.

"Why are you sorry? Not your fault. If I fought that shadow like you had, I'd be tired too!" Minato permitted himself to let out a small smile, despite the pain that shot through his face while doing so. "Well, I have to get going! I'll tell the nurses you woke up. Hopefully they'll release you soon!" With that, Yukari gave a small wave and exited the room, leaving Minato to search for his belongings.

He found his MP3 and his phone on the bedside next to him. He adorned the old device and flipped open his phone. He mentally cursed when he read the first notification.

 _8 missed calls – MAKOTO_

Minato sighed. This was going to be a tense conversation. He dialed the number and mentally prepared for the verbal bashing that was probably going to ensue.

The phone rang once, twice, and then thrice before a small _click_ could be heard, followed by a sigh.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?!" Makoto's voiced boomed over the speaker, but Minato didn't seem to notice the pain it caused. The words spoken were still processing.

"You were… worried?" Another sigh came from the phone.

"Of course I was! Why wouldn't I be?" Minato swallowed a new-found lump in his throat. _Don't question it._ He thought.

"Sorry. I'm just… tired. I lost my phone, you see, and I was preoccupied with… things." Minato prayed that his voice didn't give away the pitiful excuse for a lie he gave.

"You? Preoccupied?" A snort from the phone almost made Minato chuck it across the room in frustration.

"Yeah, I do have a life, y'know." Minato could almost feel the eye roll Makoto was probably giving at this moment.

"Anyways, have you done what I asked?" Minato face palmed. _Crap!_ He thought.

"Uh, no. Sorry. As I said, I was preoccupied." Minato heard the frustrated sigh from his brother. "Don't worry; I'll visit them as soon as an opportunity arises." A growl of annoyance sounded from the other end.

"Do not put this off, Minato. This is far too important. We don't have time to waste." This caused the younger brother to raise an eyebrow.

"If it's so important, why don't you tell me now?" Minato heard another frustrated sigh from his brother.

"You won't believe me, if I just told you. Listen Minato, I got to go. Let me know once you visited Mom and Dad. Then we can talk." With another _click_ , Makoto hung up, leaving Minato to speculate once again on his brother's behavior.

The teen sighed. It seems a normal high school year was too much to ask for. He stretched his arms and laid his head back onto the hospital bed.

* * *

The doctors spared no sympathy when they were checking Minato's health. He hated needles, and it was as if the doctors were determined to make the process involve as many of the blasted things as humanly possible. He was certain most of the blood tests _weren't_ standard procedure, no matter how many times he was assured that it was.

He was released later that day, much to the doctors' annoyance. Mitsuru sent a limo to pick him up, and he made a mental note to thank her later. He _may_ have stretched the truth a little bit when it came to how much pain he was experiencing.

The ride back to the dorm had been pleasant enough. Once he arrived, he found the first floor completely empty, with a small note beside the sign-in sheet.

 _Come to the fourth floor – Mitsuru_

He was greeted by the Kirijo Heiress herself when he made it to the fourth floor. She seemed pleased with how quickly he had arrived, but her smile fell once she saw the difficulty he had walking up the stairs.

"Are you sure you've recovered, Minato-san?" The blue haired teen flashed a smile in her direction and used his hand to wave off the question.

"I'm fine. A day's rest in a bed that isn't hospital-issue and I'll be fine." She seemed to except this response, but didn't seem wholly satisfied with it, as if she knew when someone was exaggerating their condition, Minato thought.

When they entered, he noticed that Yukari and Akihiko, who both gave him a smile and a nod, which he returned, were already present, along with the Chairman, Ikutsuki.

"Alright, now that we're all here, we can get down to business." The Chairman gestured toward an empty seat, which Minato took, "Say, Minato-kun, would you believe me if I said that there were more than twenty-four hours in a day?" The blue haired aristocrat noticed that Yukari had tuned them out, and instead seemed to be focused on a silver briefcase on the center table. He also noticed the large computer that took up most of the left wall.

"Normally I'd say you were crazy, but I don't believe there's anything normal about our situation." Minato let out a sigh. "A twenty-fifth hour, eh? I never thought about _that world_ like that, but I supposed that makes sense." This seemed to confuse everyone, except the Chairman, Minato noted, who simply gave him a knowing smile. _So,_ Minato thought, _He knows._

"I've known of this twenty-fifth hour for a few years now. Nobody believed me when I told them; they simply told me it was a nightmare." Everyone, except the Chairman, he noted again, seemed to grimace at that.

"Well, they wouldn't be that far off, honestly. We call it the Dark Hour," Akihiko explained, "It's a time that only those with the potential of Persona can experience. In it, creatures called 'shadows' come out. They prey on unsuspecting victims, leaving them in a vegetative state. You've probably seen the victims. The public calls it 'Apathy Syndrome'." Minato nodded. It made sense, but there was still something bothering him.

"How did you know I had the potential? I don't recall telling anyone besides my Uncle and a couple doctors about it…" He trailed off, deep in thought about how he would end up here, which obviously wasn't an accident. Ikutsuki seemed to chuckle at his behavior.

"The Kirijo Group's influence extends far. In truth, they fund our operations here. They provide us with information and student files on potential Persona users. You just happened to stick out, Minato-kun." This seemed to unsettle the blue haired teen even more, which seemed to worry both Yukari and Mitsuru, the latter of which was quick to attempt to dispel his misgivings.

"We apologize for any discomfort this may have caused, but surely you can see the importance in keeping our operation a secret from new arrivals. We asked you here today because we have a proposition for you." She slid the briefcase towards Minato. "Go on." Minato obliged.

Inside the case were three items: a white holster, a red armband, and finally, a gun, no, not a gun. An object; a key. A key that would unlock his Persona. He took the silver object out of the case and examined it closer. It was definitely the oddest looking gun he had ever seen. Its grip glowed with a dull blue and the barrel was round at the end, giving it an alien look. Along the side of the gun, engraved on the slide, was 'SEES'.

"We call it an Evoker. It allows the user to summon their Persona. Please, don't be put off by their appearance. They're completely harmless, well, as long as the owner has a Persona, of course." Ikutsuki assured him. Minato sat the object down on the table, and picked up the armband in the case. It, too, had 'SEES' written across it

 _Is this really happening?_ Minato thought. _This is so... surreal._

"I understand this is a lot to take in. Perhaps you need some more time befo-"

"I'll do it." Minato looked at the armband again, before turning towards the Chairman. "If these shadows really do pose a threat, and this," he gestured towards the Evoker, "is the only way to stop them, I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't help." Everyone in the room smiled, and Yukari breathed a sigh of relief.

"I was worried you'd say no." She let out a nervous chuckle. Akihiko moved from his seat and slapped Minato on the back.

"Welcome aboard." The boxer gave him a smile. Mitsuru gave him a nod of approval and the Chairman smiled enthusiastically. Mitsuru stood up and cleared her throat.

"If that's it, I think it would be best if we all retire early tonight. Minato-san," he turned to face her, "welcome to the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad."

* * *

The next morning, Minato found himself walking alongside Yukari on their way to school. The trip was filled with mostly pointless small talk. It didn't seem smart to mention anything about SEES when in public, so they avoided that topic entirely.

When they reached the school gates, they were stopped by a cap-wearing teen with a goatee.

"Yo! Yuka-tan! Didn't expect you to shack up with the transfer student so soon! Damn, you move fast!" This elicited a gasp and a growl from the pink-clad girl, who glared angrily at the accuser.

"It's not like that! We just live in the same dorm is all!" The cap-wearing teen let out a laugh in response.

"Really? 'Cuz if you look around you right now, nobody else sees it that way." He was right. It seemed everyone was stopping to cast glances at the "couple". Some were envious, while others were angry. The former came from the girls while the latter came from the guys.

Yukari let out another annoying growl at the passing students. "Why are people even talking about it?!"

Minato turned away from the curious students and turned to the hat-wearing boy. "Pardon my rudeness, but who are you?" The teen looked at Minato with a hurt expression, but it was quickly undermined by his grin.

"The name's Junpei Iori, nice to meet ya!" Junpei extended his hand towards the blue haired teen, who took it politely.

"I'm Minato Arisato. It's a pleasure to meet you, Iori-san." Junpei's eyes widened and his grin grew wider.

"Just call me Junpei, man, no need for the formalities." Minato gave him a smile and a nod before turning to Yukari.

"I have to get to class, so I'll catch you back at the dorm. Later, Yukari-san." With a wave and a goodbye, Minato made his way into the school, but not before catching small bits of the conversations around him. Some ranged from simple "oohs" and "ahs" as Minato passed them, but some were more hostile, with promises of threats if he ever got closer to Yukari. Minato was more than aware that this would happen, but that didn't mean that it didn't annoy him.

The rest of the day had been rather standard. He got a mountain of make-up work, and a few concerned classmates seemed relieve that he overcame "the flu", which he figured was the excuse Akihiko probably gave them over his week's absence. After class had ended, Akihiko tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Minato," said teen turned around to face the boxer, "I have an announcement for the team tonight, so be at the dorm around 8 P.M., okay?" Minato gave a nod towards the boxer, which seemed to satisfy him enough, and with a final pat on the back, he left the room, leaving Minato to walk home alone.

* * *

The walk to the station had been enough time for Minato to weigh his options. He could return directly to the dorm, or he could stop to visit his parents. Glancing at his watch, he decided he had enough time to kill before he was required back, so he stopped at a flower shop located at the station before setting his sights towards the inconspicuous graveyard found deep in the city. It was about time, he thought, that he visited them. Perhaps it would make up for all the years away.

The graveyard was, unsurprisingly, empty. There was something peaceful about the sea of gravestones that lined the field before Minato. Every single one had an intricate design. This was the higher end part of the graveyard, after all, which meant that the further back one went, the fewer gravestones appeared. In their place stood giant stone monoliths for long lines of rich families with excess amounts of cash to burn. Minato's parents weren't like that, though. They always preferred a quieter life, one that hardly involved gaudy decorations. If he remembered correctly, the only thing that separated their graves from those of normal birth was the Arisato Family Crest that would adorn the top of the gravestones.

It didn't take long to find them among the other graves. The crest was rather unique, after all. A simple English 'A' surrounded by a Crescent Moon that started at the top of the letter and extended down past the bottom that then crossed through the middle to complete the shape. It was a simple design, but it soon became known throughout all of Japan.

He dusted off the leaves that had fallen on the graves and set the two bouquets of flowers he brought with him down. His eyes studied both graves and the names attached to them.

' _Here lies: Naoya Arisato'_ Adorned the one to the left with _'Father, brother, and Loving Husband'_ Following below the name.

The other one: ' _Here lies: Chiharu Arisato, Mother, Sister, and Loyal Wife'_

He grazed his hand across the names etched into the stone. They seemed so… foreign; so ancient, yet so familiar. Seeing them here, again, after all this time, made his gut tighten. He felt the guilt, the sadness, and the empty void in his heart. He remembered that night, the night his life was robbed from him. The night that haunted his dreams ever since, and he remembered that there was nothing he could do about it.

"Hey, guys." He swallowed, but his mouth was already dry. "I'm sorry I haven't visited you in a while. I've been… busy. My life's been, well, different without you two here. Makoto and I haven't been getting along. I don't really know what I want to do with my life, but I'm sure you'd both tell me that's for me to find out. Uncle Kazuhira is doing fine, and is training Makoto to take over the company. He'll be the CEO soon, just like you were, Mom." He swallowed again, and steadied his breath.

"I still haven't figured out what kind of man I am, Dad. Makoto says I'm still a child, which is half true. I haven't been the best example of a son, I know that, but I promise you that the next time I visit, I'll have my answer. Anyways, I have something that I have to do. Take care guys," He unclenched his fist, which he didn't realize was currently bone white, "Love you." He sighed heavily, and, with some reluctance, turned around and left the cemetery.

* * *

The rest of the walk to the dorm had been spent in sober reflection. He drowned out the world around him with his MP3, which he spent most of the trip back fiddling with. He ran his finger over the buttons for the hundredth time, and felt every little scratch that adorned its worn surface.

When he entered, he was greeted by Yukari and Mitsuru, who were both still waiting for Akihiko to show up.

"Oh, hey Minato-senpai! Where've you been? We've been waiting for you!" Yukari was her normal, cheery self. Mitsuru hummed in agreement with her statement, but didn't outwardly voice her curiosity beyond that.

"My apologies. I had some business to take care of." Was the only non-committal answer he could think of at that moment. Something that would satiate their curiosity while keeping details vague.

They didn't have to wait long for Akihiko, as he seemed to be quite keen on his 8 P.M. target time. As soon as Minato's watch sounded with a few small _beeps_ , Akihiko walked in, but he wasn't alone. Behind him was a familiar hat-wearing boy, who was still sporting the goofy smile from earlier.

"Wait! Why is Junpei here!?" Yukari practically shouted at the boxer, who simply seemed to ignore her outburst. He turned to Minato and Mitsuru, who were both perplexed by Yukari's behavior, and began explaining Junpei's situation.

"This is Junpei Iori from class 2-F. I found him in the nearby convenience store during the Dark Hour." Minato raised his eyebrow at this, intrigued.

"I was crying like a baby when he found me!" Junpei let out a sheepish laugh. "To be honest, I was surprised when I found out about you guys. I actually thought I had dirt on Yuka-tan and Minato-senpai…" Yukari shrieked at Junpei, and it was loud enough to make Minato flinch.

' _Note to self: Do not make her mad.'_

"Junpei if you don't stop mentioning that, I'll kick your teeth in!" Junpei simply laughed the threat off.

Akihiko turned to Mitsuru, who nodded at the boxer in silent confirmation. "Alright," he began, "I think we finally have enough people to explore Tartarus." The two juniors stopped their bickering, and turned towards the boxer.

"Tartarus? Sounds like toothpaste…" Minato chuckled slightly at Junpei's comment.

"I believe what he's referring to is probably something closer to the Greek Mythological Dungeon of Torment, Junpei-san." Mitsuru and Akihiko gave the blue haired teen impressed looks, while Yukari's eyes went wide with fear, and Junpei stared at him in confusion.

"Man, I'm not even gonna ask how you know that." Minato sighed at Junpei's ignorance, but decided to let it slide in favor of getting the conversation back on track. "What is it about this Tartarus, Akihiko-san? Where is it located?" Both Akihiko and Mitsuru seemed to appreciate the refocus on the topic at hand.

"Tartarus is where all the shadows originate from. Think of it as their nest. We don't know much about it besides that. We'll go there tonight, so do whatever you have to in order to prepare." Akihiko then turned to Mitsuru, who took it as her queue to finish the topic.

"Follow me. I have something to show you." She led the group to the fourth floor and to a mahogany double door in the back. She fished a key out of her skirt pocket and turned the lock, revealing a small room filled to the brim with weapons. Swords of various origins and sizes lined the walls, with bows lined together in racks along with entire quivers of arrows on the right wall. To the left, there were axes and brass knuckles sitting on a counter top.

Junpei was the first to make an audible response. He let out a yelp of excitement and quickly rushed over to pick up the largest katana he could find. Minato, on the other hand, stayed in place and studied the wall of swords in front of him.

"If I didn't already know of the power the Kirijo Group held, I'd wonder how you managed to sneak an army's worth of equipment in here." Mitsuru chuckled at his comment. He walked into the room and approached the first weapon that caught his eye. A cavalry sabre with a black hilt and steel guard. He unsheathed it, and found it to be immaculately sharp. He tested the weight and balance of the sword before sheathing it.

"I think this," he lifted the sword, "will be perfect." He heard another chuckle escape Mitsuru.

"I prefer epees, myself." She took another sword off the wall and inspected it.

"Do you fence, Mitsuru-san?" She nodded in response.

"Yes, I do, though I admit that my skill with sabres is quite limited." This earned a small hum from the Arisato heir.

"They have their advantages, but even the most skilled sabre user can't really match the precision of a skilled epee user, since it relies on more slashing maneuvers." Mitsuru nodded at his response.

"It's almost time." Their conversation was interrupted by Akihiko, who was checking his watch with a smirk.

"Very well," Mitsuru cleared her throat, "if everyone is ready, we can now proceed towards Tartarus."

* * *

Out of all the places Minato expected Tartarus to be, the school was not one of them. It was almost midnight, which meant that the Dark Hour was soon approaching. Junpei was the first to audibly voice his concerns.

"Um… Akihiko-senpai, why're we at school?" The boxer looked at his watch again.

"Hold on, Junpei. It's almost midnight."

Minato's watch's beep was cut short by a sudden shift in the world. The sky turned a sickly green and the moon turned a pale yellow. As for the school itself, well, it could only be described as majestic. The school transmogrified into a gigantic tower with uneven edges and jagged bits protruding from the sides. Minato couldn't even being to rationalize how the tower didn't just collapse on itself.

' _How did I miss this when I first arrived here? More importantly…"_

"What the hell happened to our school?!"

' _My thoughts exactly, Junpei.'_ Minato thought. He turned to the two veteran members. "Do we know why or how this occurred?" Akihiko gave a simple shake of his head, while Mitsuru's eyes widened a small fraction before regaining their original calm state as she, too, shook her head.

"We don't know." Was all she offered, but Minato caught the small uptick in the speed of her words. It was _too_ quick for someone who was being genuine.

' _She probably doesn't trust us enough with that information,'_ Minato thought, _'If I were in her shoes, I probably wouldn't either.'_

The inside of Tartarus was just as odd as the outside, with a checkered floor and a staircase leading up to a round door. It was, thankfully, empty of shadows.

"This is the ground floor of Tartarus, considering it our staging area." Akihiko explained. "We'll only be exploring the first floor beyond here today, but first, we need to pick a field leader." Junpei instantly shot up at this.

"Ooh, ooh, me, me, pick me, pick me please!" He was practically bouncing with excitement, which Minato found exhausting.

' _They seriously wouldn't consider him, would they? Yukari doesn't seem very much interested in the position either, so that means…"_

"Arisato," Mitsuru began, "why don't you lead the team?" The blue haired teen felt like sinking into the ground.

' _Shit.'_

"It would only be temporary, of course." Akihiko put his hand on the teen aristocrat's shoulder, "Just until I can get back in the field."

"You won't be joining us, Senpai?" Yukari looked even more worried than she did before. Mitsuru was the one to respond.

"Akihiko almost broke an arm during our last encounter, so he'll be staying back with me while I provide support." The boxer grimaced at her order.

"I know." He frowned.

"B-but why him?!" Junpei gave an incredulous look at Minato. "He doesn't look like a leader!"

' _Oh, and you do?'_ Minato wanted to say that out loud, but that certainly wouldn't have earned him any favors with the team he was expected to lead.

"He HAS fought them before…" Yukari stated, causing the cap wearing teen to recoil in surprise.

"He has? Man, here I thought that we were all a bunch of newbies." Minato wanted to say that fighting one shadow and then passing out hardly counted as experience, but Akihiko beat him to it.

"That's part of the reason, but there's another." The boxer pulled out his evoker and pointed it to his head. "Can you two summon your Personas as easily as he can?" This made both the juniors hesitate for a moment, but Yukari was the first to recover.

"Yeah…. I can do it." Her comment seemed to be less of an answer and more of self-reassurance. Junpei, on the other hand, gave the boxer a shaky thumbs-up.

"You can count on me, Senpai!" Junpei seemed enthusiastic, but the boxer wasn't buying it.

"This isn't a game. Without your Persona, you're screwed." This sent a chill down Minato's spine. Sure, he didn't really have a problem with summoning, but it was a sobering reminder that this wasn't a joke. He could very well die. The worst part, however? Knowing that he had the lives of two others in his hands as well.

Junpei and Yukari followed Akihiko up the staircase, but Minato stayed back.

"Arisato," a voice broke him out of his thoughts, "are you confident that you can do this?" Minato suppressed a sigh.

' _Not like I had much of a choice, but…"_ His left hand instinctively clutched his MP3.

"Yes, Mitsuru-san." He looked up from the ground and towards the staircase. "I can do this." She gave him a reassuring smile.

He ascended the staircase to meet up with his new team. Junpei looked like he was going to burst from either excitement or nervousness, while Yukari looked like she had just seen a ghost.

"Alright," Akihiko smirked, "good luck, guys!" With that, the three SEES members entered through the giant door, and found themselves in a completely different area. The floor retained its checkered appearance, but it was like they were in a maze.

"It's Mitsuru," a voice rung out in his head, "can you hear me?" It felt odd, to say the least. It was like he had a transceiver in his ear.

"Woah! Senpai, is that you?" Junpei looked around as if expecting her to magically appear from behind a wall.

"It's my Persona's ability. The layout of Tartarus changes daily, so it's important that we have a support specialist on the outside at all times." Minato nodded his head and sighed in relief.

"Good, because I detest mazes." A chuckle sounded off in his mind.

"The shadows here should be fairly easy to handle with the three of you. I'm not asking you to go very far today. Just clear this floor of shadows." The teen nodded his head and turned to face his teammates.

"Alright, we need a strategy." Both juniors raised their eyebrows at him. "Junpei-san, since you favor a Katana, I suggest taking a position in the back and relying on your Persona for ranged attacks. As for you," he pointed at Yukari, "It would probably best that you take the position between me and Junpei-san. That way, we can avoid enemies getting too close for you to use your bow." Yukari seemed relieved at his plan, but Junpei didn't seem convinced at all.

"Uh, dude, I can't use my katana from all the way back here!" His voice was almost a growl. "You have a sabre, which has even less range than a katana, so why don't you get the back." Minato pinched his nose in annoyance.

"Someone has to take point. Tell me, Junpei-san, do you practice Kendo, or any other form or martial art that involves sword play?" As expected, Junpei shook his head and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Then don't take this as an offense, but it would be best that you stay back. I've fenced enough to be comfortable with a sabre, but you haven't." This seemed to deflate Junpei's ego, which, admittedly, wasn't exactly what he was going for. The last thing he needed was the only ecstatic one in the group thinking they weren't good enough.

"Hey, if it's any consolation, once you get used to your weapon, I'll let you take point. Seem fair?" Junpei chuckled at that and nodded his head.

"Yeah, thanks Senpai!" With that, the group began scouring the floor for danger. It didn't take long for Minato to hear a scraping noise coming from his right. He motioned for the group to stop while he peaked around the corner. Sure enough, a black mass was crawling along the floor, oblivious to the intruders inside its home.

"Alright, remember the plan, guys." Minato steadied his breath and unsheathed his weapon. Checking one last time that the rest of the team was ready, he pushed off the wall and charged at the shadow. He pulled back with his arm and thrust forward when he came into range. The metal sank into the black mass' back, and ichor spurted out onto his shirt.

It wasn't dead, however. When he pulled his sword out of the creature, its form twisted and contorted into four shapes. They were similar to the shadow he faced previously, with the same blue mask as before, but this time, they lacked the excessive amount of limbs. He felt a challenging smirk play at his lips as he switched his sword into his offhand and pulled his evoker out of its holster. With a twirl, he put the object to his head and pulled the trigger.

The euphoric sensation rushed into him once again, and he just barely managed to suppress another laughing fit. Orpheus hovered over him, waiting to be commanded.

"Burn them to ashes, Orpheus!" He outstretched his hand and Orpheus obeyed. With a few notes of his lyre, one of the creatures in front of them was burnt to a crisp. He smirked and signaled for his teammates. Yukari was up next. She inhaled sharply and brought her evoker up to her forehead. She hesitated once again before putting it back up. Instead, she opted to reach for an arrow.

Her aim was true, and soon, an arrow found its way into the mask of another creature. Two down, two more to go.

Junpei let out an excited 'whoop' and pointed his evoker at his temple. He pulled the trigger, revealing a humanoid Persona with a bird like mask and wings.

"Let's go, Hermes!" The Persona nodded at his master, and prepared to dive kick the shadow in front of it. The Persona's feet connected with the mask of another shadow, and it exploded soon after, leaving only one left.

The remaining shadow spared no time, and rushed at Minato with blinding speed. Fortunately, the teen was prepared, and brought up his sword to defend himself. He swiped and dashed away from the creature. It didn't kill it, but it sure hurt it. Deciding that summoning Orpheus would be too much, he opted to charge at the creature himself, and made a diagonal slash along the creature's mask, slicing it in two.

The last of the monsters dissolved with a screech, leaving the team in silence once more.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Junpei pumped his fist into the air, while Yukari shook her head in anger.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to summon my Persona, guys," she began, but was cut off by Minato, who gave her a reassuring smile.

"We still have more of the floor to clear, so you'll have more opportunities. Just don't hesitate. If you're not going to summon, don't, but you're lucky those guys were slow, otherwise, they might not have given you a chance to do anything else." She nodded at his words. She was going to have to do it at some point.

The next few battles went very similarly, with Minato and Junpei utilizing their swords and Personas, but with Yukari relying solely on her bow. As they were rounding the last hallway, however, something changed. The atmosphere around them, while hopelessly depressing, always held a sense of mystery around them, but that sense was gone, and in its place, there was only an impending sense of doom. The air around them seemed to be several degrees below zero, and a sound of metal rung out in the distance.

' _Are those…chains?'_ Minato thought. As if answering his question, the sound got louder, and closer. He felt a tightening in his stomach, and the complete lack of sound other than the metal made it even worse.

"Can…..ou…..er….me?" He could hear the connection between Mitsuru and himself being severed, and it hurt. It felt like his brain was being split in two, and from the groans he heard from behind him, he wasn't the only one. All of a sudden, a gunshot rang out from the hallway in front of him. His head snapped to attention; his eyes darting from one end to another, hoping, praying, that whatever it was, wasn't close enough.

Whether it was a cruel joke or not, Minato didn't know, but as soon as he thought they were safe, a gigantic blast sent him flying a few feet away from his comrades, and he felt the sudden urge to puke, but he held it down.

"Minato-senpai!" Yukari and Junpei both helped him up, but as they did, he felt a sharp pain run across his chest. He looked down, and sure enough, there was blood leaking through his shirt.

' _Damn'_ He thought, _'This shirt is brand new.'_

He growled and shook the pain off, he turned to his comrades.

"Whatever that is, I don't think we're in a shape to fight it, we need to get out of here as soon as possible, got it?!" Both juniors nodded their heads in agreement. As if on cue, another shot rang out, and the wall behind the teens exploded in a burst of electricity.

Minato turned on his heel, and signaled for the team to follow him back the way they came. Retracing their steps, they attempted to exit through the way they came in, but in the place of the entrance, they only found a wall.

"What do we do now?!" Junpei screamed, and Minato could only curse in response.

' _We can't go back the way we came…. There has to be a way out somehow…'_

"Follow me." The juniors turned to look at him. "Look, standing here isn't going to get us anywhere, and that thing is hot on our trail. If we stay here, we're dead." He took a step forward, but the pain in his chest became too much, and he had to steady himself on the wall to avoid falling over.

"Are you going to be okay, Senpai?" Yukari put her hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off.

"I'll be better when we're out of here." He pushed himself off the wall and started staggering his way through the hallway. The chains rattled endlessly behind them.

Another shot rang out, surprising Minato once again. The wall in front of him was set ablaze, and he had to turn his head to avoid being blinded by the sudden burst of light. They made a sharp left turn and ran into the endless abyss in front of them.

Before they made another turn, however, Minato stopped. Junpei and Yukari went a little bit ahead before turning around to see what their leader was doing.

"Guys, what do you think this is?" It was getting harder to speak, and he felt his eyelids growing heavy.

"Senpai, we don't have time for this!" Yukari tried to grab his arm, but turned to look at what grabbed his attention.

It was a green and orange machine, that was for certain, but what it did was still a mystery. Minato walked up to it and touched the closest thing to a button the mechanism had. When he did, it lit up brightly, and the light swirled around the three teens.

* * *

"Dammit!" Akihiko turned towards Mitsuru, who was currently taking her frustration out on the device in front of her. She rarely ever cursed, which meant that something was horribly wrong.

"What happened?" Mitsuru turned to face the boxer quickly.

"I've lost contact with them! I felt something, and then my connection to all of them was gone!" She was speaking quickly, and desperately. Akihiko soon realized what this might've meant.

"Surely you don't think… shit!" Akihiko turned to start running up the staircase. Almost on cue, the teleporter located to his right opened up, revealing the three rookie SEES members.

"Akihiko-senpai! Minato-senpai needs help." She moved out of the way to reveal the field leader leaning on Junpei for support. His shirt was ripped and torn, revealing his bare chest and the giant gash across his abdomen. He was pale, and was barely awake. Akihiko helped Junpei set him down against a wall.

Minato groaned as he felt every movement his body made. His body shivered against the wall, and he had to fight off the urge to fall asleep right then and there.

"Hold on! I might be able to help." Yukari fished out her evoker and put in to her head.

"I can do this- no! I have to do this!" She steadied her breath once more and pulled the trigger, revealing a woman sitting on top of a… ox head? Minato wasn't sure due to the excessive amount of blood loss. He felt a warm sensation envelop his body, but then he felt pain. He groaned as he felt his wound forcibly being closed by a magical power, but after it was done, he instantly felt better.

"Whatever you did, Yukari-san, I highly appreciate it." She gave him a small smile.

"Arisato, are you able to stand?" He accepted the hand that he was offered, and pulled himself up. With a little more effort than normal, he steadied himself and managed a weak smile.

"Don't suppose that was part of the initial plan…" He stretched his arms, and grimaced at the pain that shot through them.

"I'm just glad you all made it back in one piece." Mitsuru let out a sigh of relief. "We call that shadow 'The Reaper'. He appears sporadically on the floors of Tartarus. We're not sure what triggers his appearance, but we're familiar with the signs. Taking him on is..." She glanced at Minato, who was still wincing from the pain, "ill advised."

"You can say that again! Damn thing almost ripped Minato-senpai to shreds!" Junpei wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Not to mention it had freaking guns!"

"Outside of the unexpected interruption, I think we can safely say that tonight's mission was a success." Akihiko cleared his throat. "Good job, guys." He turned to Minato. "You too. You're proving to be an excellent field leader."

"Thank you, Akihiko-san." Minato bowed, and ignored the pain that it caused him.

"Can we go home? I'm beat…" Yukari huffed and took off the quiver of arrows that she was carrying.

Minato sighed, and pushed himself off the wall.

"Note to self: Order more shirts." He grimaced at the horrid state of his clothing.

* * *

Minato returned to his room shortly after arriving at the dorm. He changed into his sleep wear and collapsed onto the bed, but before he could fall asleep, a knock resonated from his door.

"It's Mitsuru, are you still awake?" He pushed himself off of his bed and shuffled towards the door.

"Is there something you need Mitsuru-san?" He asked once he opened to door, not caring whether or not he looked at all presentable.

"I just wanted to make sure you're okay." Her eyes drifted down to where the cut had been. "It looked a lot more painful than you're letting on." He chuckled sheepishly at that.

"It'll probably leave a nasty scar." He ran a hand through his hair. "Not that that's anything new." He muttered to himself, not realizing that he said it out loud until he noticed Mitsuru's eyebrow rise.

She ignored it however, and cleared her throat. "I also wanted to commend you for your impressive handling of the situation. You managed to lead a team expertly without any issues, not to mention the quick thinking that probably saved Takeba and Iori's life." He rubbed his head sheepishly at that.

"It was nothing, Mitsuru-san." She hummed in response.

"It's late, Minato-san. I shouldn't keep you any longer. Good night." With a wave, she left to return to her own room.

Minato collapsed onto his bed once more, and let the comfortable pillows envelop him.

* * *

 **AN: Once again, I'd like to apologize for how long this chapter took to get out. I didn't plan for it to take as long as it did, but I'm sure you guys probably don't want to hear any excuses, so I'll save you the trouble. Anyways, I'd like to thank you guys for the support that this fic has been getting, it's been a huge morale booster for me! Until next time!**


	6. Fencing and Feelings

_April 19, 2009_

* * *

Takeharu Kirijo skimmed through the file on his desk for what felt like the hundredth time. He looked at the picture included in the file, then scanned his remaining eye over the name attached to it.

 _Minato Arisato_

Takeharu let out a weary sigh, and massaged his temple. He then flipped the front page over, and felt his breath catch.

 _Known relatives:_

 _Chiharu Arisato – STATUS – DECEASED_

 _Naoya Arisato – STATUS – DECEASED_

 _Makoto Arisato – STATUS - ALIVE_

He locked his jaw and ran his hand through his brown hair. Images of a blue haired woman flashed through his mind, and he felt a familiar feeling flow through his chest. _Guilt._

The teen in the file looked so much like _her_ , yet so different. His hair was a few shades darker than _hers_ , most likely _his_ genes coming into play. His eyes were a familiar shade of grey, yet they lacked _her_ radiance, _her_ happiness. The teen hardly looked like the seven-year-old boy he had met all those years ago, but he supposed that was only natural.

Takeharu turned his attention to the second name in the list, and he let out a wry, humorless chuckle. Years ago, before the birth of his own daughter, he hated _him_. Jealousy was a powerful emotion, and it frequently fueled The Kirijo CEO's younger years. If there was one thing he was aware of, is that aristocrats hardly ever chose their significant others. Arranged marriages and alliances came with the position, yet _she_ had the ability to choose, and he supposed a part of him was angry _she_ chose _him_. It was a silly, irrational thought, and over the years, Takeharu regretted his ignorance. After Mitsuru, he never once felt that selfish sensation again.

Even still, it hurt. On certain days, he could still hear Chiharu's voice. He would remember their frequent games of hide and seek when they were children, and all the feelings he buried years ago would resurface, but then he would turn his attention to the red haired girl whose picture occupied his desk, and those feelings would be squashed once again.

Takeharu was brought out of his thoughts by a beeping sound emanating from the computer in front of him. He cleared his throat and clicked 'ACCEPT' on the video call, knowing exactly who it was. The monitor flickered to life and a red haired woman came into view.

"Hello, Father." Takeharu nodded.

"Hello, Mitsuru. It's been awhile. What do you have to report?" Mitsuru cleared her throat and shuffled the papers in front of her.

"Last night, we made our first expedition into Tartarus. Arisato, Takeba, and Iori performed exceptionally well. Arisato especially. " Takeharu's eye darted to the file on his desk before returning to the monitor. "They managed to clear the first floor, and Takeba managed to summon her Persona. Unfortunately, our progress was cut short by an ambush by The Reaper. Arisato, who acted as field leader in Akihiko's stead, managed to lead the team to safety." Mitsuru's voice was business-like in its presentation as she concluded her report. Takeharu leaned back in his chair and chuckled at her formal attitude.

"Speaking of Arisato," he began, "how is he?"

"He's exceptional in combat, he seems to have the trust of Takeba and Iori, and he has made fast friends with Akihiko." Takeharu sighed at that before his mouth turned into an amused smile.

"I didn't mean as a comrade, Mitsuru. I meant how is he _to you_." Mitsuru's eyebrow rose quizzically before realization dawned on her face. Her eyes widened a fraction before narrowing back down.

"He doesn't seem to hold any animosity towards you or me, and he seems to hold some sort of disdain for company politics." Takeharu nodded along at that. Not like he expected the teen to care all that much. If Kirijo Group spies were to be believed, the younger Arisato wasn't even interested in training for a company position. His eye glanced once again back at the file. First Takeba, now Arisato. Fate was truly a cruel mistress.

He let another sigh escape his lips before turning towards the monitor once more. "Is there anything else I should be aware of?" Mitsuru simply shook her head.

"No Father. I'll send you a report if anything comes up." With a final goodbye, they both turned off their respective devices.

Takeharu reached into his pocket and took out a lighter and a cigar. Things were becoming very… interesting.

* * *

Minato loved Sundays. No classes, no stuffy uniforms, but more importantly, no designated wake up time, which meant he could spend all day sleeping in, which he happily did. He only exited his room once around noon, and that was only to get a bottle of water. It's not like he had anything else to do, after all. If there was one benefit to living in a dorm, it was the lack of chores.

When he reentered his room, he slid back into his chair and turned his attention towards the laptop on his desk. He had been spending the day researching mythology in order to get a better grasp of his Persona and the Dark Hour, thinking that he could perhaps find some reference to shadows in the hundreds of stories about heroes and gods, but alas, nothing stood out, which annoyed him.

He did, however, find some interesting bits of information regarding Orpheus, but most of it unsettled the teen more than it made him comfortable. He sincerely hoped that Orpheus was connected to him based on their shared interest in music and NOT the tragic loss of his loved one or the mythological poet's uncomfortable love of young boys.

Minato pinched his nose as he read through the page again. There was something stirring beneath his heart. It was almost like he could feel Orpheus crawling around inside him, and something seemed to ignite the Persona's drive whenever he read the story of Eurydice and the poet's death. Almost as if it was reacting to the page itself. It made him wonder even more about the nature of Personas. Did they retain any knowledge of their mythological selves, or did they simply take up the memories of their user? Did they each have a mind and opinion of their own, or did they simply mimic the personality and thoughts of the wielder? If they truly represented their user, surely the latter would be true, so then why did it feel like he had such a large connection to the story of Orpheus, despite not even knowing it a couple of hours ago?

These thoughts made the blue haired teen's head spin, which prompted him to shut the laptop off, frustrated with having even more questions with less answers. He made a mental note to ask either Mitsuru or Akihiko later on everything known about the nature of Personas.

Minato was brought out of his thoughts by the vibration from his phone. Flipping it open, he sighed at the caller ID.

 _MAKOTO – ANSWER?_

 _YES/NO_

Deciding that it was probably better to stay on his brother's unexpected good side, he chose to answer.

"Before you ask, yes, I did visit Mom and Dad, Makoto." This triggered a hum in response from his older brother.

"Good. That means we can finally begin." Minato raised his eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Makoto simply huffed in response.

"Don't worry about that. Are you free in the coming weeks?" Minato swiveled his chair around to look at the calendar on the wall.

"I'm free most days, but I have school and… extracurricular activities at night." Minato heard a sigh escape from his brother's mouth at his horrid lie, but he would be damned if he told his brother about SEES or the Dark Hour or any of the nonsense associated with it.

"I swear if it's something illegal, Minato, I'll – "Makoto began his rant.

"It's not! I'm just busy at nights, is all." Minato was eager to stop his brother, lest he was hear listening to him all day.

Makoto sighed wearily once again. "I can't meet with you this month, so how does sometime in May sound?" Minato checked his calendar again.

"Yeah, that works, but I'm going to need a more specific date than just 'sometime in May'." The phone went silent for a bit.

"How does May 9th sound? Should give you plenty of time to clear your schedule and finish your… 'Extracurricular Activities'." Minato rolled his eyes at his brother's attitude, but let the jab slide.

"Yeah, that'll work. Anything else?" The phone went silent for a moment, once again.

"No, that'll be all. I have a meeting in a bit, so I'll see you then." With that final goodbye, the phone clicked, signaling the end of the call.

"Could've at least allowed me to say goodbye." Minato muttered under his breath before returning to his laptop. He clipped on his headphones and resumed his music, letting the bass and guitar of the current song rock him into a sense of bliss as a smirk tugged at his lips.

' _Yep,'_ he thought, _'it's definitely the love of music.'_

* * *

 _April 21, 2009_

* * *

Minato sometimes wondered how half the teachers at Gekkoukan even got their jobs. From Samurai-obsessed history teachers to unprofessional composition teachers, it legitimately seemed like the Kirijo Group were hiring whomever was first to send in a résumé. Today, however, he had the displeasure of sitting through the one sane teacher in the building, which just so happened to also be, in his opinion, a complete hard-ass. Mr. Ekoda, the Classic Literature teacher, was dreadfully boring; so much so, in fact, that Minato had managed to find sleep a much better alternative to whatever Ekoda was passing off as an 'essential part of Japanese Culture'.

He managed to sleep through the entire period, but was awoken by the sound of the bell signaling the end of the day.

"Minato," he felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned around to see Akihiko slinging a jacket behind him as he gathered his schoolwork, "are you free this afternoon? I have something I want to show you and Junpei, since you two are aren't in a club or anything." The blue haired teen nodded and stretched his arms and legs, which fought against him due to their lack of movement.

"Sure, I'm free. Where are we going?" Akihiko signaled him to follow him to the second floor, which was where they met Junpei.

"Yo! Akihiko-Senpai! Minato-san! What's up!" Junpei waved his hands in the air comically, drawing the attention of passing students. Minato could hear murmurs and annoyed hisses from some of the students he passed, but brushed it off.

"Hey, Junpei. You free today?" The cap wearing teen smirked in response and gave a thumbs-up.

"For you? I'm always free Senpai! What did you have in mind?" Junpei's eyes lit up at the thought of spending time with the most popular guy in school.

"It's for 'work'. We need to go to Paulownia Mall." Minato raised his eyebrow in confusion while Junpei seemed to deflate a little bit.

"You mean… we're _not_ hanging out with those cuties over there?" Both Minato and Akihiko turned around to see six crazed eyed girls staring at them with little regard for how much space they took up in the hallway or the deathly glare Minato was directing at them.

"Them?" Akihiko turned back to Junpei. "I don't even know their names. They just follow me around and give me a headache." Junpei's eyes widened in shock. "Anyways, I gotta let the boxing team know why I won't be at practice. See you guys there." With that, the silver haired boxer left with his fan girls in tow.

"How could he even say that!? Those chicks are hot and he's just blowing them off like they're nothing!" Junpei looked at Minato incredulously. "You have to think that's bullshit too, right Senpai?" Minato gave him a sideways glance before sighing.

"You don't want those girls," before Junpei could interrupt, he put up a hand to stop his outburst, "trust me." Junpei didn't seem to buy it however, and shook his head in anger before turning towards the staircase.

"Whatever man. The next train arrives soon, so we should get to the station before we miss it." With that, the two teens departed towards the mall.

* * *

Paulownia Mall highlighted the exact reason Minato hated the shopping centers of Shibuya. From the rush of high school students meandering about from shop to shop, to angry business men and women pushing through the crowds of people in order to reach their destination. If there was one thing he didn't miss from Tokyo, this would've been it. Junpei had dragged him to the arcade while they waited for Akihiko, and Minato swore that the arcade was somehow more packed than the ones in Shibuya.

Akihiko arrived to the mall a few moments later, and led the trio to a police station located within the plaza.

"Uh…" Junpei looked at the door leading into the station wearily. "Why are we here?"

Akihiko chuckled and turned to face the rookie members. "That's life's greatest question isn't it?" He pushed the door open and signaled for Minato and Junpei to follow suit.

The trio were greeted by a stern looking individual behind the counter, who nodded at Akihiko before turning his gaze towards Minato. His stare hardened ever so slightly before he turned his attention back to Akihiko.

"Are these the guys?" The officer's voice was low and gruff. Akihiko nodded in response.

"Yeah." The boxer outstretched a hand. "Minato, Junpei, this is Office Kurosawa, our contact in the Police Force, and our 'supplier'." Minato cocked his eyebrow in confusion.

"Supplier?" Junpei muttered something unintelligible while Akihiko nodded in confirmation.

"He gets us the equipment we need for our explorations." Kurosawa cleared his throat, clearly indicating that he would take over the conversation.

"I'm just an ordinary police officer, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out something is wrong around here. I have some old contacts in the Kirijo Group that informed me of your… unique situation." Minato nodded to show that he understood. The less they mentioned the Dark Hour in public, the better. "Give me one sec, I'll bring out what I have." Kurosawa nodded to Akihiko, who locked the entrance to the station. When Kurosawa reappeared, he was carrying three boxes with him. Slowly and carefully, he undid the latches, revealing the contents to be weapons of all types, as well as body armor.

Minato let out a low whistle as he eyed a bulletproof vest. "This doesn't seem legal."

Kurosawa snorted and directed an unreadable look at the blue haired teen. "Your family would know all about that, wouldn't they?" This caused Akihiko and Junpei to blink in confusion, but Minato only smirked.

"I suppose they would." He let out a low chuckle while he fished out his wallet. "I don't suppose any of this is free, so how much for all of this?" Junpei suddenly got giddy and started pointing at a great sword that he really, _really,_ wanted, but Akihiko stayed silent.

Kurosawa shook his head. "I don't accept cards, kid." Minato bit his lip before cursing to himself.

' _Of course you don't.'_ He sighed and put his wallet back into his pocket while Junpei whined in frustration.

"Don't worry, I got you covered." Akihiko pulled out two 5,000 yen notes and handed them to the two teens. "Courtesy of the Chairman." Junpei snatched his note quickly, and let out a victory whoop, which caused both Minato and Akihiko to let out an annoyed sigh.

In the end, Minato bought a new sabre which featured an odd cross guard as well as a light armored shirt to wear under his uniform while Junpei blew most of his money on his great sword. They bid their goodbyes to Kurosawa, who was making the necessary preparations to have the equipment delivered to the dorm, as they left the station.

"Couldn't the Chairman give us a little bit more than just 5,000 yen? I mean, that's chump change, man!" Minato and Akihiko both made an attempt to ignore the cap wearing teen's whining, but were finding it extremely hard. "By the way, Minato-senpai, why did Office Kurosawa seem like he knew you, or something." Minato stopped in his tracks and let a wry, but restrained smile tug at his lips.

"Think about it, Junpei. My family's company practically owns Tokyo. Besides amazing food and busy streets, what more do you know about the city?" Junpei's eyes widened in confusion, but then a mischievous grin graced his face. Minato rolled his eyes and put up a hand to stop him. "Don't say anything about women, Junpei." The cap wearing teen deflated a bit.

"You're referring to the Yakuza, aren't you?" Akihiko glanced at Minato out of the corner of his eyes. The blue haired teen's smirk turned into a grimace.

"Yep. Just so happens that my family happens to be connected to multiple crime syndicates." Junpei and Akihiko's eyes widened in shock.

"So, like, does that make you a member of the Yakuza?" Minato rolled his eyes again and directed an exasperated look at the goofy teen.

"No, Junpei, I'm not a member of the Yakuza. My family simply does business with them." Junpei let out a nervous chuckle while Akihiko simply shook his head. "Look, if it means anything to you guys, I don't like it any more than you do. Can we just drop this, please?" Junpei and Akihiko both nodded in confirmation. "Alright, with that out of the way, who's up for some ramen? My treat." At that, his two companions lit up, and they dragged him back to the train station.

* * *

 _April 23, 2009_

* * *

"Junpei, on your left!" Minato called out as he dodged the talons of a bird-like shadow.

"Gotcha!" Junpei steadied his arms and entered a sloppy fighting stance. Another bird-like shadow swooped down, hoping to claw his eyes out, but he was prepared. He ducked under the attack and retaliated with his own swing. "Home Run!" He called as his new sword sliced the beast in two.

Minato smirked at his companion's attitude, but was quickly brought out of his thoughts by a loud screeching noise coming from behind him. He spun around, and felt a force hit his shoulder. If not for the armor underneath, his arm might've been dislocated. The remaining beast circled back around and prepared for another strike. Counting his blessings, Minato prepared to retaliate. The beast closed in, but was knocked out of the air by an arrow hitting it square in the chest.

"You're getting reckless, Senpai!" Yukari scolded, but it was ruined by the grin on her face.

"Nonsense! We have to let the shadows get a couple hits in, otherwise they'll stop playing fair!" Minato quipped back, earning an eye roll from the brunette.

"Excellent work, you three. You should return for the night." Mitsuru's voice resonated in Minato's mind, and he found himself humming in agreement while he observed his teammates struggling to catch their breath.

"I agree. We'll finish this floor and head out." Junpei and Yukari gave him looks of gratitude and relief.

When they returned to the bottom floor, Mitsuru and Akihiko were already at the entrance, eager to return to the dorm after the extensive night in Tartarus. Minato passed by them, giving both a cursory glance and a nod as he staggered out of the tower. Junpei and Yukari followed suit, leaving the two seniors to discuss amongst themselves.

"Well, Akihiko, what's your read on them now?" Mitsuru asked, glancing at her companion, who was smirking.

"I think they're more than capable. Minato especially. I'm thinking of letting him take over as field leader permanently." Mitsuru raised her eyebrow.

"Really? Are you sure about that?" Akihiko turned to look at her fully, and frowned slightly.

"What? You think he's not good enough or something?" Mitsuru shook her head.

"It's not that. I just didn't think you would give up the chance of such an active combat role." This garnered a chuckle from the boxer.

"Him being field leader means I don't have to worry about leading the team, which means I can focus on what I'm good at: fighting." Mitsuru hummed in amusement.

"Always the one with the one track mind. And the others? What do you think of Iori and Takeba?" Akihiko cupped his chin with his right hand, deep in thought.

"Yukari's getting used to the evoker now, I can tell. She doesn't hesitate much. Junpei seems to have adapted well, but he still needs work when it comes to sword fighting." Mitsuru nodded in agreement. The cap wearing teen's wide swings and poor footwork were beginning to make him a liability in close combat.

"Perhaps we should make it mandatory for members to join a club related to their respective fighting capabilities. Iori could learn a thing or two from Kendo." Akihiko hummed slightly.

"I agree. Besides," the boxer turned his attention to the three new members. Yukari was arguing with Junpei, while Minato was shaking his head in exasperation. "you could use a new sparring partner." Mitsuru raised an eyebrow in confusion, but then allowed a challenging smirk tug at her lips.

"Arisato seems rather capable with a sabre. I, too, wonder how he would fare on the fencing mat." With that, the two seniors quickened their pace to catch up with the other members.

* * *

 _April 24, 2009_

* * *

Minato stifled a yawn as Mr. Ekoda ranted about the modern youth and their apparent lack of enthusiasm for classic literature. The day had been boring, and he found himself fixated on his watch, waiting for the chiming of the bell that would end the incessant torture that was being forced upon him.

"And don't even get me started on today's youth and the obsession with phones!" Before Ekoda could continue, however, he was cut off by a ringing noise resonating from the hallway. "Wha- already?!" The teacher let out a grumble of annoyance. "Class dismissed!"

Minato quickly gathered his school materials and made a move for the door, but he was intercepted by a silver haired boxer.

"Minato, are you free this afternoon?" He turned towards Akihiko, and gave the boxer a deadpan look.

"You know I'm always free, Akihiko. What do you need?" Akihiko smiled.

"Mitsuru and I decided that it was important that all members practice regularly." Akihiko lowered his voice to a whisper and dragged Minato out of the way of oncoming students. "While training in Tartarus is good, it isn't enough. That's why we've made the decision to make it mandatory that all of you join a club relating to your weapon of choice." Minato grimaced.

"Is that really necessary? I mean, for Junpei, I get it. He swings wider than an infant with a toy sword, but I'm more than capable of handling my way around a sabre." Akihiko gave him a stern look.

"Listen, I know you don't want to, but it's the best way to train our bodies on days in which we can't all go to Tartarus. It also gives us a good cover in case someone sees us lugging our equipment to the school when we do go to Tartarus. Look," he cut Minato off before he could protest, "if you don't like it, or it doesn't benefit you in any way, you can quit, but at least give it a shot." Minato sighed and bit his tongue in anger.

"Okay, sure, what do I have to do?" Akihiko smiled again.

"Great! Don't worry, you don't have to do anything. Mitsuru already signed you up this morning." Minato's face deadpanned. "Now, you should get going. I'm going to be late for practice myself!" Akihiko ran off, leaving Minato to glare where the boxer had been standing in annoyance.

* * *

The sound of steel rang out and through the halls as Minato closed in on the gym. When he entered, he was met with twelve or so white-clad fencers practicing on six mats sprung out around the gym floor. To say Minato was surprised would be an understatement. He knew Gekkoukan was well funded, but he didn't expect to see such a large and robust team of fencers dancing around the room with such high-grade level equipment. It actually brought a smirk to his face as he wondered how his old team would react to such a difference in quality.

"Oh, you must be the one Mitsuru-san was talking about." Minato turned his attention towards his side to find a blonde haired man walking towards him. His haired was parted to the right, giving him a distinguished look. Blue orbs studied Minato intently, and he scratched the stubble dotting his cheeks as he looked him up and down. He wasn't full blooded Japanese, Minato guessed. The eyes and hair were a pretty dead giveaway. Finally, he flashed Minato a friendly smile as he fastened his epee into its sheath. "Welcome to the Fencing Team of Gekkoukan! I'm Shuhei Isaacs! Pleasure to meet you!" He outstretched a hand towards Minato, who graciously excepted.

"Minato Arisato. Pleasure to meet you, Isaacs-san." Shuhei's grin grew wider.

"I knew we were getting a new member, but I didn't really expect it to be you Arisato-san!" Minato raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You're the talk of the entire school. A ladies' man and a close confidant to the school's boxing champ, if the rumors are to be believed, of course." Shuhei winked slyly and chuckled at Minato's grimace. After a firm handshake, the blonde teen turned his attention towards the other fencers on the mats. "Attention! We have a new member! This is Minato Arisato, handpicked by Kirijo-san herself!" Shuhei let a mischievous grin tug at his lips as many of the fencers gave Minato looks of disdain while some gave him looks of admiration. Minato directed a glare towards Shuhei, who laughed it off. The blonde put a hand on Minato's shoulder. "No pressure!" With that, Shuhei left the gymnasium.

Minato attempted to ignore the stares and glances as he changed into protective gear and fastened a sabre to his waist, hoping that they would forget about him within a couple of weeks. He glanced around the room, and noticed that Mitsuru didn't seem to be present at the moment, which made him a little mad, considering she was the one who signed him up and all. He strode over into one of the lines for the practice mat designated for sabre users, and observed a couple of matches.

Most of them ended quickly, which disappointed him to some extent. Minato knew that fencing wasn't exactly the most 'fun' sport to watch. It was a lot of slow movements and defense testing. Any clashes would end within seconds, and a match between two seasoned fencers could take upwards of ten minutes if they were good enough. It was definitely a sport that was best enjoyed while participating.

After a few quick bouts, it was Minato's turn. The team seem to focus on king of the hill-type matches, with the winner challenging the next opponent while the loser moved to the back of the line. The longest streak since Minato joined was two consecutive wins, and he was determined to break that record if at all possible.

His first opponent was left handed, which already threw Minato off slightly. He only fought a handful of left handed opponents on his old team. He smirked at the threat of challenge, and, with a salute for his opponent, charged forward with the vigor he thought he had lost long ago.

* * *

Mitsuru let out an annoyed sigh as she made her way through the empty halls of the school. The Student Council had met for the first time of the school year, and so much needed to be done that she almost wanted to skip Fencing Practice entirely. She may have actually done it, too, if not for her dragging Arisato into the club that morning. She reasoned that it was rude to sign him up yet not be there to introduce him, though she suspected Isaacs had taken care of that. She could at least spar with him a bit before heading back to the dorm.

She was suspicious by the quietness that permeated through the normally rowdy hallway as she entered the gymnasium. Her suspicious were confirmed when she saw the entire team observing a single match, all gathered around the mat as if it was a theater screen. She observed the two figures locked in a duel. One moved gracefully around the mat, easily deflecting blows and retaliating with their own. The other was pushed back into a defensive stance, only able to attack once their opponent backed off, but was quickly thrown off balance whenever they were parried. After a series of mistakes, the clearly better fencer ended the match with a clean hit on the chest.

The winner pulled off their protective mask, revealing a familiar blue haired teen with a look of indifference and boredom across his face. A few beads of sweat dripped down from his forehead. He saluted his opponent, who returned one in kind. Mitsuru smiled to herself. He was even better than she thought, which renewed her spirit. She waded her way through the mass of fencers and grabbed her equipment to join the fray.

* * *

Minato sighed heavily after yet another victory. He expected that he was more skilled than some of the members, but he didn't expect to go multiple rounds against the entire team. Most of his potential opponents seemed to be just as tired as him, and many had already left when he noticed a new challenger enter the mat. Their face was shrouded behind a protective mask, but the curve of their body and their rather well-endowed chest (he swore he wasn't a pervert) gave away the fact that his new opponent was female.

She gave him a quick salute which he returned in kind, and at the sound of the whistle, he charged forward, hoping to end the bout quickly, but his attack was expertly parried, forcing him to recover before his challenger could retaliate. She attacked quicker than he expected, forcing him to put more weight on his back foot and change to a defensive stance. She quickly stabbed in multiple different places, hoping to hit him while he attempted to parry, but Minato didn't fall for the bait, and instead leapt to the other side of the mat with a backing jab. His opponent wasted no time, however, and charged forward before he could gather his senses. He barely managed to deflect an oncoming blow and sidestep another stab, but then he saw it: an opening. She made a poor judgement and stabbed a couple of centimeters off of his current position. He smirked and prepared to retaliate with his own stab.

He pulled his arm back and jabbed forward, his target in sights. Time seemed to slow down as his sword reached its full length and skewered where his target should have been… wait… _should have been_.

Before he could realize what had happened, he felt an object sink into his chest. His eyes widened when he noticed his mystery opponent had quickly dashed to his right, and now had landed a clean blow on him. Needless to say, he was shocked, and found it hard to realize just how hard he had lost. An inkling of irritation found its way into his head, but was quickly overpowered by a sense of admiration for his opponent. Whoever she was, she was good. _Really_ good.

"Good match." She said with a familiar voice.

"Yeah." Was all that he could manage in his state.

His opponent pulled off the mask, revealing long, crimson hair and a pale complexion, causing him to let out a chuckle.

"Should've known it was you, Mitsuru-san. If this is how good you are with a sabre, I can't wait to see how good you are with an epee." She hummed in response and wiped a few beads of sweat off her forehead.

"You weren't bad yourself, Minato-san." She glanced at the shocked fencers around her. "You garnered quite a crowd." He chuckled at that.

"I made quite the first impression, for better or worse." Many remaining members were glaring at him out of the corner of their eyes as they cleaned their equipment and prepared to leave. "I don't know about you, Mitsuru-san, but I'm beat." She clicked her tongue in response.

"Agreed. We'll have to continue our sparring another time. Want to accompany me back to the dorm?" Minato stretched his arms and nodded in response. He watched her walk off to change and felt a smile tug at his lips. Maybe the fencing team wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Most of the walk back to the dorm was spent with meaningless small talk and pleasantries. Minato dodge most of the questions regarding this training. Something about telling Mitsuru that most of his training came from his cold and distant brother who liked having a good reason to bruise his younger sibling seemed really tasteless, so he answered most of the questions regarding his past in fencing with vague nods to his old team and private tutors.

Despite that, Minato felt the trek back was sort of awkward. Outside of Fencing and SEES, he really didn't know how much he had in common with the Kirijo Heiress, which made any conversation difficult to continue. He berated himself for letting long strings of silence go on for longer than a couple of minutes, and if the way Mitsuru shifted was any indication, it was just as uncomfortable with her as it was for him.

His mind raced with possible topics of conversation, but all seemed to end within a couple of words spoken between the two, so he stayed silent for the most part, not really knowing whether or not small talk would liven the mood or simply make the conversation feel forced. Luckily, Mitsuru seemed to have found a better topic of interest.

"Akihiko speaks very highly of you, you know. He knows talent when he sees it, and I'm inclined to agree with him. You've proven to be a very valuable asset to the team, Minato-san. You don't know how much that means to us." Minato felt a surge of pride from that. He hated the idea of being field leader at first, but every fight in Tartarus strengthened his confidence, and now he felt pretty good about leading the team.

"I appreciate that, Mitsuru-san. Your support during our fights makes it possible, however. Without you, I doubt we would even be able to explore that labyrinth." Mitsuru smirked.

"I'm glad to know that my support is helpful." She cleared her throat and turned to face Minato fully. "Akihiko and I have been discussing the team dynamic once he rejoins you on the field, and we both decided that it would be best for you to continue your job as field leader. Are you okay with that?" Minato's smile grew.

"Sure. As long as that protein junkie follows orders, that is." Mitsuru smirked and let out an amused hum.

"Akihiko may have an addiction to protein, but he's more than capable of following orders. He knows what will happen if he doesn't." This caused Minato to smirk, but one glance at her face told him she was serious, despite the smile she gave him. It seemed more like a threat than a joke. That was when another topic came to mind.

"You seem to be quite close with Akihiko. How long have you known each other?" Mitsuru clicked her tongue in thought.

"I'd say… we've been working together for two or three years now." Minato's eyes widened.

"SEES has been active for that long, and it was only you two?" Mitsuru shook her head.

"There was another… but he left." Mitsuru's response was drawn out and there was a hint of emotion behind them. Deciding not to push the topic, Minato changed the subject.

"Seems like a miracle that Yukari, Junpei, and myself appeared around the same time, then." The red headed heiress nodded in response.

"I thought gaining Takeba was a large win for SEES, but then you came along, and then Akihiko found Iori. It almost seems to perfect, but at this point, I'll take whatever we can get." That made sense to him. Years of fighting without the hope of ever finding more people to share that burden with would take a toll on even the strongest of fighters.

"I don't know if I would've been able to do what you did, Mitsuru-san. Shouldering that burden alone isn't healthy. Nobody should have to do this, or anything regarding the Dark Hour, without support." Mitsuru went quiet, causing Minato to panic. Did he say something wrong? Did he offend her in some way? Did he just make this more awkward, and better yet, why was he so bothered by it? He hardly knew this wom-

"You're absolutely right, Minato-san." He breathed a sigh of relief, which, luckily, seemed to go unnoticed by his companion. "We have the weight of the world on our shoulders, and the more people we have to help, the better." She turned to face him and smiled. "Thank you for reminding me of that. It's hard to remember that we're not alone when you face death every night." He returned her smile with one of his own, and felt a strange sensation rush through his chest.

When they returned to the dorm, it was already close to nightfall, and Minato was really feeling the dull pain aching through his muscles as he pushed himself up the staircase to his room. When he reached the second floor, he saw a familiar cap wearing teen sprawled out on the couch.

"Iori?" Mitsuru was the first to voice her confusion.

"Wha-oh, hey Mitsuru-senpai." Junpei's voice was low and weak.

"Are you alright, Junpei? You look like you've been hit by a bus?" The goatee-sporting teen rolled over and fell into the floor with a _thud_.

"I feel like it too." Was the only response he could muster, causing both the aristocrats to chuckle to themselves. "I joined the Kendo team today. Akihiko-senpai said I had to, and I'm really feelin' it right now."

"I didn't think you were this out of shape, Iori." Mitsuru's voice was mixed with humor and surprise.

"I'm not! Or… at least, I don't think I am…" Junpei's voice trailed off as he struggled to stand.

"You should probably go to bed, but fair warning, you won't feel much better tomorrow." Minato warned the cap wearing teen, who simply groaned in response as he shuffled along to his room.

Mitsuru cleared her throat. "Well, Minato-san. I'll see you tomorrow. Thank you for the match earlier today, and for accompanying me on the way back." Minato felt his smile returning.

"No need to thank me, Mitsuru-san. It was my pleasure." With a final wave, Minato watched Mitsuru ascend the stairs to the third floor, and he felt that unfamiliar feeling return to him. Shaking it off, however, he entered his room and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

 **Author's Note: My. Good. Lord! This chapter took FOREVER to get out, and for that, I offer my deepest apologies. I got promoted recently, which means I've been getting swamped with work. On top of that, I'm lazy so… bleh.**

 **I kinda feel like this chapter wasn't worth the wait, honestly. Besides the beginning and ending scenes, I don't really feel like this chapter holds much importance, and for that, I must apologize. Next chapter is full moon, though, so hopefully that will get the plot rolling faster. Right now, I'm going to try and hold a '2 a month' update schedule. Sadly, this means that overall plot progression is going to be very jump-y. I'm going to be skipping a lot of days up until around June or July, then that is where the meat of the story is going to kick in, and then you can expect all the crazy twists and turns to set in, it's really just a matter of getting there.**

 **Please Review if you have time, it's what sustains me and my ego ;)**


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